“Fan favorites” that no fan seems to remember, and of course, the one thing no Project Runway is complete without…

…bitchy queens with horrible taste, questionable skills, and no good reason to be acting so much better than everyone else. It’s all here, darlings. Right where you left it.

Julie Bowen is a lady who likes it when the camera’s on her, that’s for sure. She was kind of irritating, to be honest. We sensed Nina wanting to stab her, although it’s possible that’s our heroine worship coming into play. Zac was his usual bitchy self and Heidi liked everything with the potential of showing of her ladyparts.

There was very little in the way of drama, however. That’s to be expected, since there are too damn many designers in the game for any of them to start any real trouble. We have no doubt these bitches will all get their chance to shine down the line. For now, let’s get straight to judging them, shall we?

Sandhya

So congratulations to Sandhya! You’re lucky the judges started smoking their crack early this season!

To be fair, Lorenzo really likes this one and was rooting for it to win. Tom thinks whatever value the design might have had was completely obliterated by those ridiculous shoulder treatments. But it is an interesting look, to be sure. It’s rare to see such a thing on a Project Runway runway. Lorenzo thinks that it fits the brief perfectly because it’s something you could place inside a larger collection where it wouldn’t stand out as weird so much as a statement on the part of the designer. Of course it’s possible the judges chose this one for the win simply because everything else was so boring.

We like Sandhya, though. Like the judges, we think she’s got a lot of potential.

Alexander

Alexander seems to think he’s a lot edgier than this design implies. Granted, the kitchen curtain fabric was never going to make a chic garment, but that collar treatment is terrible. Take it away and there’s no design there at all.

Amanda

OhmiGOD was she ever annoying last night. We hope she goes early this season because the overcompensation is going to get really irritating really fast. We get it, Amanda. You’ve learned your lesson and you’re totally going to stand up for yourself, or whatever.

On the other hand, she did put out a sharp look. Those pants are pretty great and the fit is almost perfect.

Angela

Angela distinguished herself by being The One Who Cries Almost Immediately, which is never a good place to be, because you’ve pretty much hung a sign on your back that says “I’m histrionic and I can’t handle any of this.” Expect further meltdowns.

We like the pants, though. They’re not perfectly fitted, but they’re interesting in a “I’m probably not wearing any underwear” kind of way. The top’s pretty awful, though.

Carrie

This is Long Blue (and Sometimes Pink or Purple) Hair’s entry and we’re really digging it. Every other entry using this fabric couldn’t overcome the cheapness of it, but she managed to make this look very high end and edgy. One to watch.

Char

Right now, Char’s our favorite. She seems to have a refreshingly no-bullshit approach to the proceedings. We’re not loving how this looks, but when we try to picture it rendered in much more fabulous fabrics, we think it has potential. But the proportions are way off, to our eyes.

Emily

This was Short Blue Hair’s entry and it’s completely wack.

fäde

fäde wins for being the most pretentious of this lot, but we have to admit, we were surprised both by how much we like this and how interesting a garment it is. He may actually be one to watch.

Hernan

A huge nothing of a dress.

Kini

HORRIBLE. The jacket had some interest to it, but the dress is totally Becky Home Ec-y.

Korina

Korina has the potential to be a hilariously entertaining bitch character. Credit where it’s due: even as she was ragging on Sandhya’s design, she was quite aware that the judges could turn around and give it the win. In other words, she knows well how this game is played and how arbitrary some of the judging decisions can be.

As for this, it’s got the potential to be chic, but the fit and the proportions are way off. It probably would have looked better rendered in a much more expensive fabric.

Kristine

Utterly forgettable. Questionable taste issues.

Mitchell

This is horrifyingly bad, saved only by the fact that the Heidi has terrible taste. It helped that he worked like crazy to present himself as a “character.” The only thing that might redeem Jorts McFlipFlops is his clear unwillingness to play the bitch all the way. He tried to, but in the end he wound up helping the contestant he was bad-mouthing, which indicates that he may simmer down once he realizes that playing a character will only get you so far in this competition.

Samantha

Who?

This is not bad, but it’s kind of bland and forgettable.

Sean

We’d probably be a bit more impressed with this look if Sean himself hadn’t over-talked it. It’s good; it’s just not quite as edgy or out-of-the-box as he implied. Fairly impressive sewing skills – and a talent for making cheap fabric look more expensive (which is a very useful talent to have on Project Runway.

Jefferson

And it’s Auf Wiedersehen to poor Jefferson, who has to live with being the first one to go, which is always kind of embarrassing. We figure the judges were right to make this choice. Not that there weren’t equally bad things on that runway (The Mitchell’s The Romper was pretty The Terrible, for instance), but he made the mistake of giving the judges the impression he had no confidence in his work and no idea why they had any issues with it. Sure, they may have overstated their disgust a bit, but Nina was right to point out how totally unworkable these proportions are.

EDITED TO ADD: Darlings, we’ll be appearing on the DEREK & ROMAINE SHOW on SiriusXM OutQ 106 at 8:20 pm EDT. Kittens are encouraged to call in and chat with us about all things Project Runway (or whatever else you want to unload on): 866-305-6887. For those who don’t subscribe to Sirius, a free online trial is available at www.siriusxm.com/outqoffer.

Ditto. Watched most of last night, but by the time we go to “the chance to design a fashion accessory for servers at Red Robin” as an actual prize and not a weird challenge, I knew Project Runway was circling the drain.

bitchybitchybitchy

Not only circling the drain, but seeping faster and faster down the pipe. I skipped last night’s episode, as I had a more important TV date watching Mads Mikkelsen in a Danish crime drama. When the choice is between Mads and too many designtestants, Mads wins-every time.

Aidan B

Those cheekbones…sigh.

bitchybitchybitchy

And his eyes….

scoobynacks

Ugh, I missed that. So those poor servers are going to have to wear something designed by Sandhya? Oh dear. I’m sure they love that.

teddy partridge

No, the “Red Robin uniform” prize is a Grand Prize for this season’s winner, not simply a prize for this episode.

Yeah.

PastryGoddess

indeed. I’ll watch on Sunday or Monday.

Janet B

Fun to see all of the BK here, despite our love/hate of PR.

megawatt

Same here.

TLo: Would you guys consider adding a quick sentence regarding what the challenge was in recaps for us non-watchers? I started reading your blog in the projectrungay days because of this show. I have since given up Project Runway, but I’m a loyal bitter kitten and read everything you post.

rhymeswithorange

The challenge was to make a look that represented a theoretical spring collection. Reduced to, what’s your aesthetic? They also had to use provided fabric, so no Mood yet.

dmkava

I think it’s gotten better starting last season. The seasons between Kenley wininng and last season were duds.

GorgeousThings

I can’t get past the Mary Kay/Aldo/Red Robin thing. How the mighty have fallen. I’m only watching it to keep up with your recaps.

TropiCarla

I just couldn’t believe how looooong they went on about the prizes. It’s a damn big purse to be sure, but with getting in all the sponsors it must have taken a good 3 minutes to say all that. I shudder to think Heidi has to say all that every episode.

MarieLD

If they don’t show her face when she’s “saying” it on future episodes, it’s taped and added in. Didn’t we read once that Heidi isn’t the best at saying her lines?

Nicole

If you haven’t, watch the first season of Project Runway again. She was really green then, and it’s amazing to see how much more poised she is on camera now!

I can live with Mary Kay and Aldo. They’re at least fashion adjacent. Its the Red Robin thing that makes no sense. I mean, you take the sponsorship where you can get it, I suppose, but there’s no connection. It could be worse, I guess. It could be Arby’s.

Thanks for reminding me. Best Western in Europe is the WORST. The hotels just pay for the name. I’ve stayed in about 5 of them in different countries and they were all WTF I guess this is the only place in town moments.

Skippymom1

My Mom said once “My idea of camping is Best Western. In Europe.” I completely appreciate your sentiments..

bitchybitchybitchy

I’m waiting for the tie-in with the Aldi discount supermarket chain- Design a chic yet cheap smock for the serfs at Aldi’s.

I swear to god, when Tim (or Heidi maybe) said “Aldo”for the first time, I heard “Aldi”, which really confused me.

lintvedta

Hahaha same here. Never heard of Aldo before last night.

bitchybitchybitchy

Now I’ll be waiting for “designers, please use the Trader Joe’s accessory wall deliciously”

MilaXX

odd fact; aldi’s & trader joe’s owned by same family

bitchybitchybitchy

I know-just read the obit for the owner of Aldi’s in the NYT recently.

Skippymom1

If this isn’t said in some future episode or season of PR we will all have been robbed. Ask for compensation when they do it bitchy.

bitchybitchybitchy

I’ve got the BK community as backup on this, don’t I?

Skippymom1

You have my vote. I know I am going to laugh out loud anytime Tim Gunn says “designer wall”.this season thinking of this.

demidaemon

At least then I will be able to accurately judge it, as it is a store chain I frequent. It’s also German, which seems to be one of Heidi’s buttons to get you somewhere on the show.

Ellen T

I’m guessing Aldi might be the site of the unconventional materials challenge. God help us – they will be making garments out of cardboard boxes!

bitchybitchybitchy

Wooden pallets, cardboard boxes, patio umbrellas….

Jeff Warhurst

I LOVE Aldi! I was so bummed they didn’t have any in Denver; but it’s a sacrifice I was willing to make.

bitchybitchybitchy

One of my sisters-in-law swears by Aldi for certain items, and she’s packed several Christmas baskets with Aldi chocolates, which I”ve found to be quite good. We have an Aldi’s nearby. Now I want a Trader Joe’s so that I can shop both.

Inspector_Gidget

Next challenge: Design 15 pieces of flair for the discerning waitress.

Red Robin is furnishing the prize money, and also giving the winner the chance to design new uniforms. I thought I had misheard Heidi at first and thought she said Revlon (which would make a lot more sense)

They are sponsoring the $100K grand prize and having the winner ‘design a new accessory’ for their uniforms.

sk8tfan

so the wait staff will have very chic name badges.

Carleenml

OMG.

Skippymom1

I am hoping for bowties.

FunButNutz

Can’t wait for the “Red Robin Challenge” What do you guys think? Design an outfit that goes with a plate of mac n’ cheese and some curly fries?

Carleenml

I thought they were sponsoring the week. I can’t believe they’re sponsoring THE WHOLE THING.

CeeQ

For fucking real. I kept laughing at the Red Robin sponsorship. PLEASE. It is to laugh.
Even the Hubs was all “Mary? Kay? What? Why?”
When a guy who thinks wearing stripes is “edgy” is mocking you, it’s time to reconsider.
But as usual, I’m totally sucked in already by the editing of next week’s episode! Crying! People saying “vagina” a lot! Designers picking on each other! Tim uses a curse word! I already set the DVR. LOL

I was very sad to see Jefferson go – he seemed like someone with an interesting point of view if he was given a chance. His audition garments were pretty great, and i loved how he used elastic at the knees to allow for movement.

Saturnine

I agree. Certainly his runway look wasn’t great, but based on his total showing, I would much rather see what he can do than Mitchell.

I’m going to quote Nina on this: I know what Mitchell’s going to show me, and I don’t want to see it.

Saturnine

I was sure he was gone after that comment–it was spot on.

teddy partridge

Proof if any was needed that Heidi plays the “my show/my loser” card whenever she wants to.

Nina looked *pissed*.

MM4321

Exactly! It definitely appeared that Heidi walked all over the other judges in the voting this week. Knew Sandhya was going to win, despite the other judges’ criticisms, as soon as Heidi started the whole “it’s so interesting/can’t wait to see what she does next” stuff. Heidi must miss Patricia and is determined to put us through another season of “Whhhhhyyyyyyyy????”

Freynika

I’ll bet you she was thinking of that awful Josh with the waxy dragbrows. That little suit The Mitchell made was a dead ringer for Josh’s more tacky stuff… and it was allll tacky. I really don’t want to go down the Josh path again.

MoHub

Yes and No. I actually expected Jefferson to be one of the three cut pre-competition, instead of Tim Navarro, so I wasn’t surprised to see him auf‘d first. However, had I been in the judges’ position, the first cut would have been Angela.

Passionflora

Of course, Jefferson was auf’ed. Mitchell and Angela provide such drama.

krelnick

Down to him vs. Mitchell, they were of course going to pick the “personality.” PR isn’t too kind on quiet, dedicated folks.

When the smack talking about Sandhya started, I realized that no matter how bad her outfit (and to my mind it was BAD), she was going to win just to amp up the drama. Sigh. It is official. The producers of The Real World have officially killed my favorite television show. I’m not sure I will stick with the show at all this season after sitting out the recent spin-offs. But of course I will always come read Tom & Lorenzo’s recaps!
By the way, how unbelievably cheap did that Mary Kay makeup look on the runway? I’ve seen a drag queen use Wet & Wild better than that mess.

Carleenml

in the photos above they all look very shiny.

Jacob Bowen

Oh my gosh the amount and application of blush on some of the models looked absolutely RIDICULOUS! One of the models (Amanda’s?) looked AWFUL during the close-up!

I think we are going to miss Hot Make-up guy much more than he misses the show. Sigh. What’s next-Rimmel or Wet ‘n Wild providing the make-up for PR?

MilaXX

johnny lavoy? i love him

johnnyboyjohn

I think they mean Scott Patric… but i could be wrong… wouldn’t be the first time.

Gatto Nero

I was gobsmacked at the judges’ decision (yelling at the TV). But you’re right — I should have known.
It’s going to be a long season.

bitchybitchybitchy

Plan accordingly. Make sure that you have enough of your chosen beverage(alcoholic or non) and munchies for each episode. Also, soft pillows to punch or throw in the direction of the TV.

Call me Bee

I think that had more to do with a) what the designer’s wanted for their models (Orange shadow??!?! To match the dress??!?! Ugh) and b) how it was applied. MK cosmetics, while not as high end as Bobbi Brown or MAC, are right up there. Not cheap.

demidaemon

That was actually one of my favorites on the runway. So I thought it was a good choice (and a nice “screw you” to her haters).

johnnyboyjohn

I accept your “screw you” and return the favor with a “wha???” with a side of “eeesh, nuh uh.”

demidaemon

Fair enough. 😉

cocohall

Despite the show’s many flaws, it is still fascinating to see how 16 (? I lost count) people interpret the same creative brief and come up with so wildly different solutions. And who knew Julie Bowen, she of the “I would prefer to live in my workout clothes 24/7” would have the moxie to render her opinion so loudly on EVERYTHING. But give me her over Katie Holmes or some other bewildered starlet who cannot speak without scripted lines any day. At least she seemed lively and engaged.

stayl

I wish they would get rid of the starlets but I know this will never happen. I like when designers appear but I really miss challenges like the post office worker’s uniform challenge from Season 1. Julie Bowen seemed real opinionated and I’m surprised Nina didn’t go deaf in her right ear.

Julie Bowen was obnoxious, but you’re right about her being more talkative than the random starlets that appear. I did get tired of seeing her face on the runway, Neutragena commericals, and hawking for Bridgestone tires throughout the show. I don’t blame her for making the $ whenever and wherever because the shelf life of an actress is that of a banana, but she’s very vanilla and just not that interesting to keep on screen for so long.

demidaemon

I’m so glad I watched this on the internet and thus missed this lovely barrage of advertisements.

BringittotheLight

Obnoxious, yes, that’s it. Lord help us all if she were a regular cast member. After 5 seconds I wanted to shout “gurrrrlll, shut your mouth. you’re killing my vibe”

bitchybitchybitchy

I watched the episode last night on demand and after 15 seconds of Julie Bowen I was hitting the mute button.

johnnyboyjohn

Yes… WTF…? I was like “It’s a very special Julie Bowen night, isn’t it?…. she’s everywhere, she’s everywhere.

berkeleygirl

The minute Sandhya’s model stepped onto the runway, I thought: Bjork. (I mean that in the best way.) The question is – does Sandhya realize that?

s elin

I know you meant well, but there is no best way where Bjork is concerned…or Sandhya for that matter. That dress WON!

Cate

Oh, I think Sandhya absolutely gets it! That girl is sharp.

Jacob Bowen

“When are we getting rid of “The Posen”?” Is my question of the night. Also, I LOVE “Long Blue”‘s dress because it looks like it was actually designed. Shocking, design on a “Fashion Design” show…who would have thought?

Edited for clarity.

Jangle57

Oh I so agree! Now that I’ve seen what he designs, I have little respect for him or his ‘talents’, at least not where he should be in a position to be judging others. Classic case of the pot calling the kettle black….

Jacob Bowen

This was totally my comment that I deleted on accident…and now it’s posted as “guest”. Damn Guest getting my credit…thanks Disqus.

Three pairs of pants and not one of them has a fucked up crotch? What show am I even watching??

MoHub

Angela’s kind of made up for that by showing ass crack.

annla

I liked Angela’s pants. Apparently I am alone in this as there is not one positive comment about them. I thought they were cool and unusual and I could envision many girls wanting to wear them. I live in a party town. 2 of my 3 daughters liked and would wear them also.

Janet B

Never before in PR history…Three pairs of pants! (without pants being the challenge)

bitchybitchybitchy

Don’t worry-this was only the first episode. I’m sure that someone will delight us with a wacky crotch!

RroseSelavy

I know, and they kicked off dropped-crotch guy right at the outset!

johnnyboyjohn

I had to laugh, I was soooo looking forward to what they’d do with a drop crotch.

evave2

I was surprised and pleased that so many of the designers, male and female, showed pants in their pre-show collections and so many of the male designers were already doing male clothing.
I will NEVER forget Season 5 when nobody knew how to design/sew clothing for a man and one guy took off his shorts and used that for a pattern and let others use that for a pattern because Tim said it was not disallowed. The clothes people sent out were so whack the like of that challenge has never been seen again.

tallgirl1204

I didn’t watch and only saw your pics, but I LOVE Amanda’s pants. Over the years, I have discovered that looking at stills never tells the whole story, but nonetheless… I’ll probably wait until we’re down to 8 or so designers before starting to watch. Thanks for taking this one for the team, TLo.

Call me Bee

And that’s funny, since I watch the runway show, and because of the weird lighting and camera work, I can never really get a handle on the design or construction, until I see the stills!

DuBey2

That’s why its great to do Both! And get the great commentary and laughs only on TLo.

annla

It’s just you and me liking those pants, I guess.

Calvin Philips

I dunno about y’all, but I thought the judges made a great decision on the winner last night (and singled out my #3 and #2 for the top).

Calvin Philips

Also, I could not have been more irritated with Statler and THE Waldorf.

Not sure that Amanda was my #3, but she was definitely in my top five.

Munchkn

That outfit of Jefferson’s looks worse that it did last night and I can totally see where Nina was getting her proportions all wrong comment. I hated Sean’s look last night and don’t like it much better today because nothing says Spring like a black and grey dress with ugly black shoes without an ounce of delicacy. I do realize that the grey fabric might be light blue or lavender, but it reads grey.

Saturnine

I think the styling/proportions are off a bit on Sean*s dress. Take an inch off the hem, narrow that blocky lower chevron stripe, and swap out the hoof-shoes for sandals, and it might work.

Call me Bee

Yeah–ugly hoof shoes. Aren’t we done with those yet?

teddy partridge

That Aldo rack — and the Aldo ads also — are full of them,

bitchybitchybitchy

I forget who used the word shooves, but it really does describe these fugly shoes.

wontons

I thought the proportions were off, too. I was happy for the effort, though.

Yeah, I agree. It didn’t read spring, but it’s still a pretty great dress. I know that length is much hated, but I am such a fan. I think it’s really sophisticated and cool. The shoes were mistake, for sure, but on its own, the dress stood out in a good way.

Gatto Nero

Also keep in mind that their fabric choices were limited — they had to use what they were given or barter with the others.

Thanks for the correction. At least they both begin and end with an “a” and have an “and” in the middle. I’m always amazed by the BK’s ability to remember even the most minute details of who made what and who wore it 10 years ago.

Remembering all that was a fluke, believe me. In fact, Alexandria has been mentioned here a few times, and it took me until a couple hours ago to recall who she was. And I wouldn’t have recalled anything about her dropped crotch pants if you hadn’t mentioned them.

I agree with you about the BKs collective memory. It’s quite impressive.

I wanted them to send Florida boy packing! Sandhya’s was not my favorite dress, but I love her happy personality. I couldn’t help a feeling of doom, though. Kind of like that animation where the sweet little fawn is grazing in a field of flowers, and a giant hairy foot comes down and obliterates it. Judging from the previews, it looks like it might happen next episode. Why do mean people have to exist?

DinaSews

I did not really care for her dress either but I love her attitude of ‘sticking it to the man’ in India (?) who’s trying to keep the woman down.

Saturnine

Agreed. I*d like to see what other naughty prints she can come up with. 🙂
* sorry, my apostrophe key is not working–I promise I*m not trying to make * happen.

Shawn EH

That middle finger print she showed in her application was pretty brilliant. I think when she gets to choose her fabric the colors will be more harmonious.

Alloy Jane

I really loved the stuff she showed on her rack, like, really loved. I worried when she only had sleeves to put on the model and was pleasantly surprised that she had an actual dress to put on her girl and even more surprised that I kinda liked it. For some reason, it reminded me of Aladdin Sane. I wish the judges would’ve mentioned the finishing of her garment because I worry that she’ll continue to have bad time management and I want her to stick around. That middle finger print was just… even if I didn’t know they were middle fingers I would still love it.

LadyCelia

Ah, a “Bambi Meets Godzilla” reference! My day is now complete!

Jacob Bowen

Oh my gosh, was anyone else immediately alerted when Hernan said one of his outfits was sent off for JLO to try on?!?! I IMMEDIATELY thought, “PREPARE FOR TACKY!” but then he sent out the most boring dress!

Saturnine

How exactly does that *sending out* thing work? Does the garment have to be requested, or can anyone send a dress to anyone?

Jacob Bowen

I am assuming they saw his work somewhere and requested photos of some of it from him and then chose a piece or two of his to try on. Even then though, it was probably just one of many options for some event she is attending.

Saturnine

That makes sense; thanks!

RroseSelavy

I liked his rack and was expecting something much more interesting to come down the runway. Playing it safe, I guess. They should kick off not the most hideously constructed garments in the early weeks, but the ones that look like anything you’d get at Marshall’s.

demidaemon

But he definitely sent out a JLo dress. I mean, it’s about two steps down from a Herve Leger and twice as boring, but it’s got the right length and tightness for his client.

nosniveling

as usual your recap is the best part of the show!
enjoyed the heck out of it including Jorts Mc Flipflop!!

MoHub

Unfortunately, that means hoping he’ll stick around just so we can keep using the name.

phenks

My husband and I were referring to him as “Kenneth the Page, turned up to eleven.”

That was my favorite new wrinkle that they instituted last season. But I was sorry to hear that Tim’s Save was also brought back.

RroseSelavy

If only they’d institute Tim’s Hatchet. Would be fun to see whose antics he tires of quickly.

Paula Pertile

I miss the hot makeup guy.
Also, those winning shoulder thingies were super crazy, but otherwise kind of glad it won, just because it had some life? soul? to it.

Saturnine

The life and soul went right out of the sleeves in that Zombie-chic dress. Even the Amanda de Cadenet show had a Talking Dead feel to it. 🙂
I do agree with you though–something about the dress was the most interesting thing on the runway.

yes, “Undone” was more overdone. Hopefully it will settle into a more enjoyable, less frenetic groove. She was speed reading her way through those cue cards. I love the idea of a woman-friendly late night show though.

Even though the dying she did wasn’t that evident once the dress was finished, I liked the fact that she made the effort to transform an ugly fabric. She was the only one who did.

Joan Arkham

Just watched the show off my DVR not 5 minutes ago and I don’t remember half these outfits. *yawn*

In_Stitches

Korina’s looks decent from the front, but when she came down that runway that butt cape was a sad, sad affair. It limply hung off her butt at half mast.

Samantha’s is quite chic and looks to be well constructed. I’d say she’s one to watch.

Sean’s is very well made, but I just don’t like it. The design on it isn’t aesthetically pleasing. It doesn’t suit the body in a flattering way.

I kind of like Kristine’s crop top and skirt with slit. The colors aren’t quite right, but I like the idea, especially paired with flats.

Qitkat

For years I’ve wished that the first three challenges would be a test ground to see who has the goods. Someone can always do badly on the first challenge, and actually be a case of a designer with real potential once they settle into the rhythm of the show. And conversely. Then at the end of the third episode, the judges can eliminate the worst three of the lot, based on all the challenges. It doesn’t throw the show off schedule, but helps give the viewers as well as the judges a better perspective on talent, ability to finish and sell a garment, and more of their perspective. I’ve never bought into the judges not knowing who creates what after a couple of episodes; blind judging is a joke.

I detested the winning dress; she may have potential but I’m not convinced. I would have sent Florida boy home, and kept high waisted shorts, I think he has more potential. My favorites to keep an eye on are Carrie and fade. (Don’t know how to do umlaut on iPad.)

stayl

I didn’t like the winning dress either but her portfolio looks pretty interesting. The first assignment might be tough not only because of time, but also nerves and the new environment.

housefulofboys

I so totally agree with your idea of a testing ground for a few episodes at the beginning. This is not the first time that someone with real potential has been eliminated because of 1 bad showing. I too would have gotten rid of Jorts but knew he would be safe because of his potential…not for fashion but for drama. I actually liked the winning dress – with all its faults – more than anything else on the runway with the possible exception of Amanda’s jester pants which were pretty awesome. There were a lot of nice touches – the colored trim, the dyed fabric at the top, the seaming, even the fringe – to give some interest to a very mundane floral. Also, I like Sandy and want to see her stay around for a while.

FrigidDiva

I wasn’t a huge fan of the winning dress either. I think if she would have used a different fabric than the one she chose. It looked like a dirty curtain in an abandoned haunted house. That atrocious Mary Kay makeup didn’t help sell the look either.

Qitkat

The makeup bothered me a lot, like she had been punched in both eyes, had been crying, and used eye shadow instead of concealer.

DinaSews

I totally agree with you. Then it’s much easier for 3 people to go at once.

Gatto Nero

I appreciate the way Sandhya uses color and cultural references, but I think she relies too much on the prints to do the work. The actual designs — the cut and construction of the garments — seem a little ho-hum to me. And the winning dress was a wreck.
I agree that Carrie and fade are ones to watch. Emily’s dress was an abomination — bottom-three fodder for sure. Kini, Kristine and Mitchell may be next on the chopping block.

somebody blonde

You’re so right about Emily’s dress! I wanted her in the bottom instead of poor little Angela. At least Angela had interesting ideas.

I’ve been thinking that for a while. Giving the designers just two challenges before an elimination occurs has always seemed like a good idea to me; three is even better. The first three challenges should be straight forward. Leave the gimmicky ones for later. And because I don’t complain about this enough (by which I mean I complain about it all the time), for all that is fashion-good and fashion-holy, give them enough frigging time to make a decent garment.

This show has been ridiculously dumbed-down, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not because traditional Lifetime viewers are stupid and tasteless. It’s because the producers think they’re stupid and tasteless. I find it hard to believe that most of their viewers don’t want to see a show about designers making good quality, fashionable clothes.

bitchybitchybitchy

According to the article in the Washington Post about PR the ratings now are around 2 million-down from their peak a few years ago. Given the Lifetime audience reaction to Anya in Season 9 (Oh, I like her! She’s Pretttttttttyyyy!), I’m thinking that at least some Lifetime viewers tune in for the phony drama.

Oh, yeah, but any reality show, competitive or otherwise, is going to have viewers who are in it for the phony drama; some of those shows thrive on the bullshit, e.g., MasterChef, which not only allows sabotage but has built sabotage into the premise. As far as I know, that show is hugely popular. I just wonder how much the demographic for PR actually changed when it moved to Lifetime. I imagine that Bravo-era PR had viewers who were more interested in the drama than they were in the quality of work the designers put out.

RE: Anya’s fans. The guy who recapped PR at TWoP was a huge Anya supporter. He’d been covering PR for years (maybe since the beginning. I’m not sure), and he should have known better. I mean, I had no issue with Anya herself. I actually liked her. But I was able to separate her charisma and personality from her complete lack of qualifications.

bitchybitchybitchy

I was not a fan of Anya, but she does have a sense of style and an eye for picking the fabrics that made the most of her designs. She also understood how the game of reality TV is played.

bitchybitchybitchy

I’m sure you’re right about the reality show genre drawing viewers who enjoy the hyped drama that is part of reality TV. I don’t know whether the demographic for PR changed when it moved to Lifetime.
When the show was on Bravo, it certainly had its share of hyped drama, and designers who recognized that creating a persona improved their chances of getting more air time. Jeffrey Sebellia was candid about presenting himself as he did during his season;add in the animosity that developed between him and Angela (fleurchons), and there was plenty of drama there. Jeffrey also brought experience and talent to the mix.

conniemd

I’m a lukewarm defender of Anya, not because she’s pretty, but because she really had an eye for beautiful prints. With a couple of exceptions most everything she sent down the aisle made the wearer look good. She wasn’t fashion forward, but kinda like Elie Saab (not to say she is anywhere near his talent) but she knew how to make women look good, if not fashion forward. A woman wouldn’t be embarrassed walking down the red carpet in something by Anya.

Her sewing skills were clearly limited, but I always saw her as picking the fabrics and after the clothes were designed saying Nay and Yea to each. The best clothes on the runway that year were the ones she did with Bert Keeter, who has serious sewing and construction skills.

Denise Alden

You and my husband must be communicating telepathically, because this is what he argues for every time we watch this show! 🙂 Except for I loved the winning dress. But back to agreement about sending Jorts home!

bitchybitchybitchy

You can substitute ‘ae’ for the umlaut over the a in fade’s name. It’s an equivalent to the umlaut. They reallygave out some fugly fabric for the first challenge. That winning dress(and I’m judging only from the still photo) looks like it might be appropriate for a Klingon tea party.

MoHub

You can also hit the ALT key and while holding it down, type 132 on the number pad: ä

bitchybitchybitchy

thanks for the info. I’ll try to remember that.

Qitkat

fäde!
On iPad, hold down letter with finger and alternate letters appear, with accents etc. Slide finger over to correct choice. Voilá!

martha

Klingon tea party!

bitchybitchybitchy

I like the mental image of Klingon gals bedecking themselves out for a badass tea party

evave2

What a great idea! I just could not believe that. I usually can “see” an argument to be made for any of the top three because one may have some fine sewing which I can’t catch from afar (and I think one of the best innovations has been the judges really look at the final 6 designs closely) and Tim gives some input. I also think he was surprised at who won.

So give them all a chance to find their legs, three days three challenges. More to judge on. But let them know each time who is in the bottom so they can figure out what the judges like/want.

Qitkat

That’s a really good idea, to let them know which looks are in the bottom, even if there are more than three in a challenge. It would be refreshing for the format to get an update, that is not based only on drama (the Tim Gunn save).

MemHey

I am not sure my eyes can handle a season of those workroom colors.

Qitkat

I agree, those workroom walls jumped out like a sore foot.

Stacy Mintzer Herlihy

I would have given German Guy the win. He had my favorite use of the fabric.

housefulofboys

From his portfolio also, he is very skilled at manipulating fabric. I think we can expect to see a lot of that from him.

DuBey2

Yes, I was so pleased today to see that I WASN’T crazy for loving his and also Long blue hair’s dresses. I’m so happy when my fashion choices are confirmed by TLo. That counts much more to me than the judges’ decisions. They (our Uncles) even loved Amanda’s design, which I thought was fantastic.

Which one is Long Blue Hair’s dress? I have about a third of the designers sorted out (pretty good for me, seeing as how this was the first episode. It usually takes me at least three episodes to identify anyone), but I can’t even remember who Long Blue Hair is.

DuBey2

Carrie. The short dress made entirely of a print. But with interesting design elements that saved it.
FYI, they didn’t have choices on their fabric — it came in their assigned “trunks” and most looked pretty cheap.

Ok, right. Yeah, I liked that dress a lot. It could have been a tad longer, but that is the smallest of quibbles. I was a bit skeptical of her at first, but she seems to have some talent.

Thanks for responding.

bitchybitchybitchy

Given my automatic eye roll at faede’s name, I am surprised that I lilke his design as much as I do. I may have to tamp down my irritation at the silly name and watch the boy.

Alloy Jane

Yeah, the name is really an obstacle to taking him seriously but I was surprised how much I liked his dress and thought it was funny how very European it was. He already has a very distinctive style.

bitchybitchybitchy

He’s on my watch list now, as a designer who might have something to say this season.

Frank_821

Korina is looking to get the Gretchen/Alexandria edit. In that she doesn’t come across as likable. In reality she probably is a nice person. Like her predecessors, she really hasn’t said anything worse than any other contestant and yes editing is a factor, but there’s something rather arrogant in her demeanor. This is magnified with the edit showing her in bitchy judgement fests with The Mitchell.

Speaking of which there’s something of a put-on effect I feel going on a la ALP with Mitchell. I feel at times he’s amping it up just to get more camera time.

The winning dress was a surprise since I’m on the same page Julie Bowen. The silhouette is cool and the actual fabrications I liked but the starting fabric made me cringe. If it wasn’t a print I think this could have been intriguing. I don’t mind too much though since I find her 1 of the more interesting designers to come on the show in the last few years. She has a defined POV and I like she incorporates her culture into her designs unlike say Patricia from S11

I liked Long Blue haired girl’s piece very much. She got great skills even if she is annoying. I loved how Nina and Heidi blasted her for being very referential as she claimed she was bringing new, originals to fashion

I really responded to what Amanda made-better than anything she did during her original run. If we had to endure a returning designer, I am glad she was the one who made it through. We will not speak of Ken. You can argue that Alexander is more talented but he really irked me last year during the reunion. He was 1 of the contestants who publicly complained about the judging being fixed and how Heidi et al were biased against him despite the fact he did pretty well and presented a decent decoy collection. Yes there’s manipulation but it was pretty hypocritical of him to submit himself for a return

FrigidDiva

Korina really bugged me. I know they manipulate how we view these designers through the editing, but I didn’t care for superior attitude.

Shawn EH

On Sandyha’s win: “Now I’m just confused, and have NO IDEA what the judges want.” Maybe start from that position, girl, instead of pouting about ending up there. When she got the “safe” vote, she totally had Angelica Houston’s face the year Kathy Bates beat her for the Oscar.

serenab44

Korina (and Mitchell) said what she/they said. No denying that; producers didn’t put those words in their mouths though one can bet the producers were psyched when they did! Yeah, maybe she said nicer things off camera too but what would the show be without some drama! It was pretty low key otherwise. Agree, agree, agree with the dress analysis.

Shawn EH

I literally had Gretchen and Ivy nightmares after watching the episode; I’ve never been as angry at the show as I was during that season, and Korina/Mitchell were channeling the same mean girl vibe for me.

evave2

The difference between Korina and Gretchen is that Gretchen (for the FIRST time in Project Runway HISTORY) won the first two challenges and that gave her delusions of adequacy. There was literally nothing she did that year that was interesting or out of the ordinary. But I guess she was in the fashion zeitgest re granny pants. But I don’t care, I hate granny pants. Ivy knew 65 different ways to stitch but made nothing that was of interest. I was curious about Mondo (but I have to say I have seen nothing of his on anybody but I guess he specializes in T-shirts or something).

Korina had the most interesting coats from her rack in the beginning and I loved her use of Pendleton fabrics. You can say others were bringing their culture in (like Sandyha and the Muslim lady who did not make the cut) but so was she. Her work has definite native American elements (I am from New Mexico, here we have Puebloan elements which are different from her Northwest Culture background so I am unfamiliar with them but am interested). She said nothing mean about anybody personally and I personally thought that Sandhya’s look was the worst thing out there. I really didn’t like it. And all Korinna said was that she didn’t get it and didn’t like it. I hated the undone wrists and hem. What was that about? The silhouette was the same as a lot of other dresses.

I think Sandhya is a nice lady, I am interested in her background. I just could not stand the dress.

And if The Mitchell was ANYTHING like Ivy (may she dissolve in bile) he would never have offered to help anybody. She would’ve been making a double fish-hook overstitch or something (I will never forget the way she treated her “helper” in one of the challenges I wanted to brain her).

So I think they both were gob-smacked that THAT was what the judges wanted. Because I didn’t get it either (I never seriously disagreed on both winner/loser before, at least not like this).

ETA I would like somebody to inform me if I am incorrect in my usage of “the Muslim lady” because once about 15 years ago I called somebody an Oriental and was informed that that was incorrect and have used Asian ever since. I did not know and I don’t want to be wrong and offend somebody just because I don’t “see” it. I don’t think it is “politically incorrect” to try to call somebody what they would prefer to be called. People got a right to their own names.

MoHub

I think “the Muslim lady” is okay, but it would be better not to identify her by her religion and to call her by name, which is Nzinga.

bitchybitchybitchy

I was a bit disappointed but not really surprised that Nzinga didn’t make the final cut. She definitely has a clientele for her work.

conniemd

Since I’m born and raised in Oregon I totally get what you mean about Pendleton wools. Pendleton has a store in the Portland airport, showing how native/local they are. My favorite, older than dirt suit jacket is a plaid Pendleton wool in navy blue, green and red that still looks good as it hasn’t faded or nubbed or anything else. It could be right off the rack. Yay to made in America. I loved Korina’s coats too.

Jay

I think the Gretchen comparison is apt. The difference between Korina and Alexandria to me is that the latter had the skills to back up her high opinion of her talent, whereas Korina’s first entry was underwhelming. Plus, A turned out to be really vulnerable and was the victim of bullies (Helen, Dom, and Kate) rather than a bully. I really liked her and doubt I will feel the same way about Korina.

SewingSiren

1. I loved Sandhya’s look and was totally on board for the win. She had one of the worst fabric to overcome and she managed to make it look edgy.
2. Char had a great top , but the bottom was just nice. Although the judges have gone ga ga over circle skirts before.
3. Where did Amanda get that fabric? She originally had the same stuff as the German. And no one would trade with her. Her outfit is nice , but very similar to Angela (which they hated). I would have had Sean in the top over her.
For the bottom I would have had Herman and Kini for the sheer boringness of their dresses but sent South Florida home.

housefulofboys

Agree on all points, and just posted a similar comment re Sandhya’s fabric.

s elin

She made it “edgy” by fraying the edges. I don’t’ think that’s what “edgy” means in the fashion arena. I am dumbfounded by the win. I had put her in the bottom three. I saw her going home.

SewingSiren

Yes the frayed edges are one of the elements, along with the strategic staining (repeated in the eye make-up) , and deconstructed sleeve cap and edges bound with another jarring print. She used to transform the fabric from a rather insipid floral into something fearsome. In my opinion it is the only memorable garment on runway.

Alloy Jane

Oh I forgot the judges used to crap themselves whenever the sub-psychotic Clinique Counter would send out a circle skirt. That did get annoying after a while. I’m glad they didn’t bother fawning over Char’s skirt, although I do think the simple pattern with a busy print was a nice foil to the voluminously draped, solid top. I really wish she had turned that top into a dress/gown though, but her idea started off with a circle skirt because how else would she realize her pocket obsession within the time constraint?

Lizzy

Can someone please explain proportion to me? I know what the word means but I don’t really understand what it means when someone says the proportions are off.

oldscrumby

Umm… It’s kind of two things. There are certain proportions that the human eye generally finds pleasing, so off proportions could refer to that. The less vague answer is that the clothes are distorting the body’s proportions in an unpleasant way.

Shawn EH

It also has to do with the current “silhouette.” Jefferson’s super-short crop top and high-waisted shorts? Those have nothing to do with any currently trendy silhouette (which is having an 80s moment I think which means BIG shirts, shoulder pads and if anything low-rise shorts).

Gatto Nero

pro·por·tion noun prə-ˈpȯr-shən

: an amount that is a part of a whole

: the relationship that exists between the size, number, or amount of two things

: the correct or appropriate relationship between the size, shape, and position of the different parts of something

Full Definition of PROPORTION

1 : harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole : balance, symmetry

2 a: proper or equal share

b: quota, percentage

3 : the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree : ratio

4 : size, dimension

Full Definition of PROPORTION

1 : harmonious relation of parts to each other or to the whole : balance, symmetry

2 a: proper or equal share

b: quota, percentage

3 : the relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree : ratio

4 : size, dimension

Saturnine

I absolutely defer to those with more expertise on the board, but here*s a quick answer :

Proportion is the way each element of the garment *sizes up* to other elements of the garment. If one of these proportional elements is off, the garment is not pleasing to the eye. For example, short, puffed sleeves on an otherwise sleek draped evening gown can be an example of poor proportions (think prom, bridesmaid, and some regency-era dresses). Some runway shows and avant garde designs often play with traditional proportions; the most successful of which push conventional proportions of what the eye finds pleasing with more outsized shapes and silhouettes.

Proportion can also mean the fit of the garment to the wearer, relative to the wearer*s body shape and type. A garment with poor proportions might have a waistline that makes the wearer*s legs look too short/long or that makes an otherwise slender torso look girthy around the middle. I took Nina*s *proportions are off* comments about the losing look to mean that the top was too short for the model*s torso, making it look like a *bib* rather than a swingy top. In this case, the proportions are a design element, as the proportions of the top would look *off* on any wearer.

Also, a well-designed garment can look proportionally *wrong* on a wearer because of the wearer*s body type; an example might be any TLO post where a smaller-framed celeb is wearing an overwhelming evening gown that looks long and lean on the towering model.

I*m sorry for the long *quick* answer, but I kept thinking of things to add while I was typing. :-). I agree with Shawn EH and oldscrumby 🙂

wontons

Sean’s dress, which I liked in general, looked like it belonged on a much taller model. The placement of the color blocking looked like it belonged farther up on the torso; the distance between the hem and the top of those fugly shoes made her legs look stubby.

It seemed to me like a good illustration of an otherwise fine design marred by proportion problems.

Saturnine

I agree 100%. Sean’s is a perfect example– my husband and I liked his overall design, but we kept going over how to make it look “better.”

Paula Carr

I was thinking that if he had insert a triangle of black into that large lower grey triangle, it would have helped a lot. The BIG grey triangle made the dress look very bottom-heavy.

Munchkn

It think the wrong proportion of the dress totally threw if off for me. Combined with those clunky shoes, it just looked ugly. It does look, though, like there was more thought and imagination that went in to the garment than some of the others.

DuBey2

Thanks for asking, because I, too, had this question after last night. And you got some great answers here.

somebody blonde

Just to be specific with Jefferson’s design, the way that the shorts come up to almost under her boobs and the top cuts off there as well makes her look like her legs are 8 feet long and her torso is 6 inches. Basically, when someone says “the proportions are off” it means that the clothes are causing the person to look like their body parts are strange sizes relative to each other. Whenever TLo says something about high waists not being Jennifer Hudson’s friend, it’s because the high waist makes her legs look about 6 times as long as her torso, which looks tiny.

Other proportion problems could be things like making a woman’s shoulder/hip ratio look really skewed in one direction or the other, making their boobs or hips look like they’re in the wrong places, etc. Small proportion issues are those that make a person look less close to physical ideal than their body would look naked, big proportion issues are those that make a person look like they have deformed proportions when they don’t.

StevenUSVI

Funny. I am in sync with all of your comments. I believe Jorts McFlipFlops definitely should have been the one “sent to the workroom to clean up his space.” I have loved following your page.

decormaven

Just judging from the stills, Kini and Hernan will be the next to go. Thanks, dear uncles, for continuing to recap this show. Your work continues to be the highlight from this production. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the thought process that equates Red Robin with PR, but I guess I should just follow the cash trail.

Frank_821

Oh while I’m thinking of it can we talk about those ads for Aldo and Mary Kay?

The Aldo ads I thought were awful. The shoes they highlighted were so blah or clunky

I was shocked how much I liked the Mary Kay commercial. Someone in their company at least realizes how badly they have to alter how people perceive their brand

also I agree with some of the others. Julie Bowen could be overbearing but at least she had real opinions and was willing to express them and not try to play nice

decormaven

I feel for the MUAs if they are trying to do runway looks with Mary Kay products. Talk about a challenge!

alyce1213

Talented MUAs can make pretty with finger paints.

decormaven

Finger paints may be preferable.

Alloy Jane

No kidding, they’d be better off using chalk and finger paint than Mary Kay make-up. I once had an aesthetician heartily warn me against their products. She gave quite a few reasons and details but I don’t remember what they were other than something about mineral oil causing premature aging and being toxic.

FrigidDiva

I’ve never even heard of Aldo before. Is that an upgrade or downgrade from Belk?

Munchkn

A sidegrade, perhaps? I mostly know Aldo from their shoe stores in the mall.

Shawn EH

Beat me to “sidegrade!” More fashionable than Belk, but still a budget brand. Better than Payless though.

serenab44

I liked some of the boots on the wall…since that’s my price range I was sorta intrigued. Sorta.

marlie

I’d never heard of Belk before last year, so Aldo seems like a slight step up to me. But it’s still a mall brand.

I didn’t think Bowen was overbearing at all, although it seems I’m in the minority here. I was pretty impressed with some of her comments, and liked that she didn’t coddle the designers. I really like Julie Bowen, though, so maybe my opinion is clouded.

MarieLD

I agree. I didn’t think she was overbearing either, but I guess I’m a fan of hers so I didn’t see it?

Yeah, maybe we were both just blind to how annoying she was. But it seems to me that she’s there to give her opinions, ostensibly anyway. I would prefer to see designers filling the guest judge spot every week, but that’s a lost cause. If they’re going to fill that spot with actresses most of the time, I want them to speak up and say something of substance. I think Bowen did that.

CelandineM

I liked her honesty and that she actually had something to say other than so many lame judges ” I’d wear that.”

I know, right? I think she made some good points, and she seemed to know what she was talking about. I didn’t agree with her comments about the winning dress (which I loved), but I got what she was saying.

Citric

She screwed up the “actress judge drinking game” though. A drink for every “I’d wear that” (two drinks if it’s “on the red carpet”) and a drink for every “confused.”

CelandineM

Hahaha yeah, but we can temporarily substitute and drink for every time someone said “edgy.”

Frank_821

Oh I liked many of her opinions. I did feel there was a couple moments where her cadence and manner came across as a little too aggressive than necessary-like she was channeling Claire Dunphy

songstarliner

I hadn’t seen any of the promos for the show before last night, so for me the biggest laugh was hearing Tim Gunn say “Turn down for what?”
I laughed so hard my kid came in to see if I was ok.

otterbird

Julie Bowen commissioned a dress from Bert Keeter, who is still my favorite PR contestant, so I can’t find her that annoying. Besides, as Lawrence Olivier said, the three reasons to be an actor are, “Look at me, look at me, look at me.” 😉 I do think it HILARIOUS that PR felt the need to run a subtitle explaining to the audience what “DIY” meant, but felt no need to explain “WTF.”

FrigidDiva

I was thinking the same thing last night. I was waiting to see how they would explain WTF.

I accidentally posted this in another thread, but someone said in the Lounge last night that she’d commissioned a dress from Laura Bennett. So it seems that she’s a long-time supporter of the show, and the designers who “graduate” from it.

DollyMadisonWI

That makes me love her all the more. I wish someone would commission something from Seth Aaron.

marlie

I would LOVE to see more Seth Aaron out there. He’s one of my favorites, too.

CelandineM

LOL I don’t understand the Julie hate from so many of the BKs. Like you and TLo mentioned she has commissioned work from PR designers, obviously is a long time fan of the show, and seems to try really hard on the RC. Yeah she seemed a bit aggressive but didn’t say much that I wasn’t thinking or haven’t said before about a runway. At least it wasn’t all just “I love it” or “I would wear that.”

Jay

Her “geisha hooker” comment about Angela’s garment was the nail in the coffin for me.

justmeandme

i had to agree with her though, it was not a good look

alyce1213

She’s a fan of the show. I think it was an attempt, maybe not successful, to quip like the Duchess, who is sorely missed.

berlinmama

racist comment?

evave2

I have been reading the comments and looking for Bert. I always love to get his assessments of the new season.

otterbird

I still remember that great skimp he designed that became “also winner” for the competition that was to design something that was going to be sold. I remember reading somewhere (this is TOTALLY unsubstantiated, so take it as such) that it had been arranged that Anya was to win any competition with a monetary prize involved (which she did), but I felt like Bert threw a monkey wrench into that plan by designing something so good and so marketable. So Anya got the prize, but his design still was manufactured too, because the company (who was it? Bluefly? I can’t remember) saw $ for themselves.

evave2

I think there has been ‘way too many switches of the subsidiaries (bluefly to belk to aldo; and now mary kay cosmetics) and it hurts the “brand.”
Bert always gives such terrific comments. I look for them because he is just so to the point.

I don’t remember the website they made those outfits for either, but it featured a video from both Bert and Anya describing the outfits they made. Bert pointed out all the features intelligently, why he put them in and why they were flattering. Anya just said stupid drivel about how it looked pretty, or something vapid like that. It was such a contrast to watch the two videos, like night and day, that I was a bit shocked the vendor would put them both up.

Alloy Jane

IKR?? That totally made me laugh and think, “will there be a vocab quiz at the beginning of the next episode?” I didn’t notice they didn’t subtitle “WTF,” but now that you mention it, I wish they had, lol. And Julie Bowen is 200% a theatre chick.

Carriganak

I’m so glad my job closed early last night so I could come home and be surprised this was happening. I got to live tweet it and see your tweets as I did, and that was quite thrilling (Miranda from Season 12 responded to one tweet I made).

I really hope this group gets more interesting, as I was a little bored by this runway.

Also, TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?

DuBey2

If they have a Grammy for most UNLIKELY song for a TV show: that should win. Including Tim & Heidi’s “dancing” moves.

RoseJB

It’s really nice to see so many models of colour! Usually we don’t see this many unless there’s a “tribal” or “island” collection walking the runway.

Gatto Nero

Fade surprised me. The dress was well designed and executed — great use of the limited fabric — and even reminded me a little of Dior (The New Look).

I also thought Sean Kelly deserved to be in the top three. Long Blue’s dress had great structure; that girl’s one to watch. Char’s draping and sewing skills definitely stood out, but I’m not sold on her yet.

I’m not on board with Sandhya for the win — I thought the dress was a train wreck, frankly. It was *not boring* (to use a Nina criterion), for sure, but creativity and risk-taking are not everything. A design also needs to be coherent, and I didn’t think this was.

And Florida flip-flip boy should have gone home.

I’m happy for Amanda and all, but her smug, world-wise act is already getting on my nerves. And I just kept wanting Julie Bowen to shut the hell up. (Another completely unqualified judge.)

Shawn EH

I didn’t really mind Julie. We’ve all seen her red carpet struggles here over the years; it seems like she’s learned a thing or two about what is flattering for her.

Gatto Nero

That may be true, but I still found her overly aggressive and attention seeking, and I didn’t think her comments were particularly valuable.

marlie

I think that’s exactly why I liked Fade’s look. I almost wrote that I could totally see it on Kiera Knightly, with some of the current Chanel looks she’s been wearing (some of which are a little reminiscent of New Look Dior).

Shawn EH

The only thing I didn’t like was that necklace, which really aged it I thought.

RroseSelavy

I immediately thought the styling was too secretary and not what the designer has said he is all about.

Gatto Nero

Yes — it didn’t need the necklace, which detracted from the overall look a bit.

marlie

Oops…. commented in the wrong thread. :O

Saturnine

Agree with your last sentence–enough Amanda already. I like Julie Bowen and all, but her real-life persona scares me a bit.

stayl

Agree with everything you said here, especially on the very aggressive Julie Bowen. I like Char too, but the fact that she’s self-taught makes me worry. There’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you need a little sumthin sumthin to bring variety and spark to your work.

Gatto Nero

Yes — being self-taught is great, but a teacher or mentor can open your eyes to things you might not otherwise explore.

Qitkat

I agree with all you said about the designers, but I actually liked Julie being so outspoken. She had real opinions, not just rubber-stamping the judges. I’m always disappointed when someone famous I like turns out to be milquetoast as a judge.

Alloy Jane

Yes, for a celebrity judge–most of which are utterly unqualified to intelligently critique the designs–she wasn’t that terrible. She expressed her opinions and then some, but I think the “and then some” bit is what grated on most people who had a problem with her. But that verbosity is typical of the theatre crowd.

LilyVanessi

Yesterday was my birthday and I got two great presents. A Coach handbag I’d been lusting over and the hilarious live Twitter commentary from my favorite uncles. Thanks!

FrigidDiva

Maybe it’s because it’s a been a year since the last PR but the judges definately had their claws out last night, especially Nina. I don’t have much of an opinion on the designers at this point, it’s going to take a few episodes before the herd gets thinned out and I can really remember anyone.
I have to ask about the Philip B hair studio, is Philip B really popular for hair products? Is it higher end? I’ve never heard of it before and we don’t have much in the way of higher end or speciality stores for hair and beauty products and I don’t recall seeing it before. Also, is Aldo supposed to be a step up from Belk? The commericals were terrible.

RroseSelavy

Does anyone else just fast-forward through hair and make-up? It’s just product placement. Also, when do we get the refrigerator challenge?

Saturnine

We do. That’s when we refill our glasses and set out more cheese.

Munchkn

Aldo is more of a side step than a step up or down. They have their own shoe stores in malls as well as selling through Macy’s, Kohl’s, JC Penny, Nordstrom and Piperlime.

HeisenbergHattie

I’m off to the mall right after I apply my Mary Kay face. Having lunch at Red Robin wearing my cheap Aldo costume jewelry.

I’m not sure why, but your asterisks are cracking me up. That’s a good work-around for a non-functioning apostrophe.

Saturnine

I could change computers (or blast this one with that dusting spray), but then I*d have to do actual work.

ETA: my comment sounds very *lounging around eating bonbons* to me, so I*m off to fix my neglected apostrophe. I shamed my own self 🙂

Gatto Nero

They give everything a little sparkle!

Call me Bee

I’m already acrimonious. Cracktastic judging right from the get-go. The dress that won is horrible-and horribly made (did anyone notice that the seams didn’t match at the hem, beside me?) I know they are keeping Sandja what’s-her-face around because she’s ethnic, draws inspiration from her nationality and did cute things with f-you fabric, but she seems way more artsy-craftsy than anything else. And, of course, they kept The Mitchell for “good TV”. Ick–it’s bad TV. I have absolutely no hopes for this season whatsoever. But the TLounge was fun and it was nice to “see” some old faces. (I mean that in the nicest way….)
Have a great vacation, Dear Uncles!

marlie

Hold on a sec… what is Zac wearing on his feet?? Boots with a (slight) heel? Only Prince can get away with those, sweetie.

As for the results.. I would have been ok with Char or Fade getting the win. And Mitchell or Angela should have gone home over Jefferson. I think Sandhya has an interesting perspective, and I’d like to see more from her, but this item was not “win-worthy” to me.

People keep saying this, but we never actually stopped watching Project Runway.

MoHub

Well, we’re glad to see you recapping again.

DuBey2

Friday mornings are again the highlight of my week, internet-wise. Nothing compares to your recaps & perfect combination of humor and true Fashion chops — & I love it most for PR, because, unlike the other TV you cover (shows I don’t watch) or Fashion Week Runways, I actually get to form my own opinion 1st on PR & THEN see what y’all think.
All that is to say; Thank you. Thank you for STILL recapping PR.

Violina23

Maybe a reference to your AllStars hiatus? Either way, we’re all happy you’re back. I fell asleep after the runway, that shows you my mindset… Hehehe

MoHub

Probably both All Stars and Under the Gunn, both of which lacked T-Lo’s snark.

Anapestic

In a move typical of how closely I follow fashion trends, last night I went to the Lifetime site and watched the first episode — of the previous season. I have nothing else to add except that I think Tim was wearing the same plaid jacket at the beginning of that episode that he’s wearing in the top picture here. I think he wore it better last season, but it’s definitely a good look for him. I look forward to forming an opinion on these designers sometime before 2020.

DuBey2

Hah! You can also catch up on all the old Project runway looks (the runway stills at least, which is all I care about) right here on this site.

rainwood1

And the judges’ what the fuckery begins. PR certainly isn’t about finding the best designer anymore and winning doesn’t seem to mean much in terms of career success, but I’d still like the judging to make actual sense. The winning look was terrible from start to finish – the print, the torn sleeves, the finishing, the dyeing. For the judges to fawn over it just emphasizes how the fashion world is in a little bubble all its own. The notion that something is good because the judges haven’t seen it before just seems ridiculous. And Julie Bowen, though I love her on MF, really was annoying.

Gatto Nero

All those weird elements might have worked if the design had had some coherence. Everything just looked hashed together. New + unexpected don’t necessarily equal good.
Jule Bowen was unnecessarily aggressive and didn’t have the design chops to back up all that talking.

evave2

When Sewing Siren said she was enthusiastic for the dress, I felt I had to re-evaluate my dislike (actual dislike) for Sandyha’s dress. But I still think it was terrible. And reading your comments put into actual “style” words what I so disliked about it. It’s like she had 20 ideas for “something new” and used 10 of them. To me it looked like an A-line dress that had torn sleeves and wrists and hem; the hem was a little off all the way around; the dyeing looked like stains. TO ME. Whoever said something about The Walking Dead hit me because it DID look like something worn 3mo into a zombie apocalypse. It was just awful. Boy I am getting worked up here. I really didn’t like it. Was shocked it was in the top.

To say something REALLY nasty, it reminded me of Anya’s unfinished, one-look (not that I think Sandyha has only one look) caftan-y THINGS that won…BECAUSE. You know. BECAUSE. Or Gretchen v Mondo. Sometimes the judges are just saying things and it seems like a caricature of a fashion discussion from a movie. This is just FABULOUS, don’t you know?

I really truly honestly did not see anything there I would ever want to SEE on somebody else (let alone me). I just didn’t like it.
And the commenters here who discussed silhouette? I mean, I saw an A-line. I don’t get it.

Gatto Nero

This is it exactly. A design can be boundary-breaking, avant garde, visionary, whatever — but to be good, it has to make some kind of visual sense. It has to be coherent. And Sandhya’s dress was incoherent. It was just (to my mind) an A-line dress that had some random, nasty stuff done to it.

Alloy Jane

I think the problem is that most of us don’t have a context for the inspiration for the dress, which Sandhya’s said is the spring Holi Festival of Colours. I mentioned this somewhere else, but because there’s a very large “lost in the cultural translation” gap, it bears repeating. If you google the festival (this is what I did when she mentioned it during the judging), you’ll see that a big part of it involves getting splashed with colored water, or paint powder, which explains her manner of dying the fabric and the piping. Another defining characteristic is the abandoning of social boundaries, which would be a huge deal in India considering how rigid the caste system is. That might explain the shedding sleeves.

As for her dress being A-line, well, there are only so many silhouettes for a dress. Char’s outfit was a beautifully draped blouse with a very simple circle skirt. Amanda had a pair of pants with an eye-catching construction pattern and an ugly, mullet-hem tank. Each top entry involved a basic element that had something that made it special. Sandhya’s “special” elements were the fabric panelling, the fabric staining, the frayed cuffs, and the detached sleeves. I suppose they picked her for the win over Char not because REASONS, but because what Sandhya sent down the runway made them sit up and wonder what it was she was doing. Either that or they wanted to put a bee in everyone’s bonnet, that’s always a possibility.

martha

I think it would have worked better if the dye had been darker and more obvious.

Gatto Nero

I got the Holi festival connection, and I appreciate that she tried to transform the fabric and even deconstruct the dress. I just didn’t think it was a particularly successful design. Maybe if she’d had more than one day (and a better fabric selection), the result would have worked better. In any case, I’m curious to see what she does next. I liked the textiles in her audition collection but didn’t care for the actual silhouettes much. She appears to be one of those designers who depend a lot on pattern and color and may not be as inventive with shapes and construction. I guess we’ll find out.

somebody blonde

I think Sandhya’s was definitely a love it or hate it dress. I loved it, but I totally get why so many people hated it. I admit that I would’ve liked it a lot better if the original fabric had just been a straight white, but I don’t think there were any such fabrics.

dickylarue

I think the show should shake up the format and not auf anyone for the first 3 weeks building up to an episode where 3 are eliminated in one night. It would be an orgiastic bloodletting filled with Tim’s salty tears. I also think it would look less rigged in that sense since it was clear they were keeping Mitchell to be this seasons “Josh”. The show loses credibility with obvious casting decisions like last night over talent. I also thought all the drama over blue hair girl getting picked was to intentionally create an underdog. She’s clearly quite talented and I smelled producer fuckery all over her being the last one who only Tim believed in. Amanda annoys me. She basically was Michelle’s little helper the one season she was on and wouldn’t have even cracked a list for a chance to come back except that her brother is in Maroon 5. And who the fuck listens to Maroon 5? And we have another bullying storyline to look forward to this season? Yawn. That said, any Indian woman who was forced into an arranged marriage has my vote over the “I’m navajo bitches!” one trying to Patricia her way to the top. And Fade makes me think of Hedwig without his wig. That is all.

DuBey2

Agree, except about Amanda.(She’s got talent, IMO). Interesting point you make about the manipulation of long blue hair girl. And, of course, the Mitchell/Josh personna.

dickylarue

Amanda’s outfit was good last night. I’ll give her that. I just never thought she’d even crack a top 10 list for “let’s give her another shot” on the show. We’ll keep our eye on blue hair girl. I definitely think she was intentionally set up to be a underdog/dark horse. At this point, they should stop casting a “Josh/Mitchell” as a designer and just hire someone like that to hang out in the workroom being catty. Like a bitchy den mother when Tim’s not around. Then the producers can have him all season and he doesn’t have to walk shitty clothes down the runway.

As much as Mitchell annoyed me (and he did make me want to break things), I’m not seeing him as another Josh. Josh was mean-spirited and toxic. Mitchell, I think, is just trying to be a big personality so he can get more camera time and stay on the show longer. Of course, I could be wrong; it wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe I’m just being hopeful.

Let this be a lesson. If you’re going to have a pretentious contestant, make it a pretentious German contestant. At least the Deutschers keep it entertaining! He’s a cross between Karl Lagerfeld and Dieter from Sprockets.

Gatto Nero

Judging only by the fake name and the promo stuff, I fully expected to dislike fade, but I actually think he’s kind of a gas. And his dress was really well designed and made, especially for a one-day challenge.

dickylarue

Can we call him “Hedwigless”?

martha

I think “forced” is a little strong a word. She seems to like the guy and is following her cultural traditions. The Navajo designer was also just acknowledging her ethnicity. Being the second Native American contestant on PR doesn’t make her a Patricia copycat.

Inspector_Gidget

So help me, I’m watching again. We’ll see how long this lasts. Kind of sad that PR is more of a MST3K style watch now.

CeeQ

Totally forgot to watch it last night….! WHOOPS. Maybe me and PR shouldn’t get back together…..LOL
As usual, enjoyed the recaps and honest to goodness will try to watch it at some point this weekend to catch up.

minnye

Sean’s dress was my favorite, but that shift silhouette should be shorter, no? I also thought Angela’s no-undies pants were pretty cool. Couldn’t get excited about any of the top 3 & I’ll bet the win was awarded to set up the drama. Same goes for Angela being in the bottom 3. Several of the ones who skated through were worse than hers or plain snoozers.

somebody blonde

Yeah, I absolutely agree with you about Angela. I actually thought her pants were sexy and interesting. I disliked Alexander’s, Emily’s, Hernan’s, and Samantha’s more than hers. Her problem was that she wasn’t confident and didn’t sew it very well, but at least the design was good.

Melisa Monday

Long timer lurker, 1st time poster-Hello!
I would have eliminated The Mitchell for The Sleeves or Kini for going full-on Dress Barn. I was pleasantly surprised by fäde’s offering & thought Carrie’s dress looked well made.
It seems the accessories wall just keeps getting worse. The Aldo boots are very 90’s chunky(and the blonde model in their ads looked like grunge era Drew Barrymore). But, No auto-tuned Yoplait ads this season! Which is sooooo goooooood.

bitchybitchybitchy

I like “full-on Dress Barn” for a fashion critique.
And, welcome!

Melisa Monday

I’m sure a variation of “Dress Barn” has been used here before, but it just had that look.
Thanks for the gracious welcome to the party, I’ll try not to talk with my mouth full.

Gatto Nero

Or, as we say in the Northeast, “Dress Bahn.”

cognativedissonance

Do we think grunge is coming back? Between the increase in midriffs on the runway and the whole “normcore” thing I feel like it’s probably about time, and I was wondering a little bit if that had anything to do with the win. That floral has a 90s feel, and then to shred it up like that … I dunno, something about it feels Grungy to me. Probably would have been too literal if she’d sent her out in Docs but I could almost see it working. I wonder if after the neon! skinnypant! 80s stuff we’ve had the past few seasons, some more 90s redos won’t be coming down the runway now.

Melisa Monday

Yes. Urban Outfitters & Free People are currently selling plaids, oversized cardigans. slip dresses & ditsy printed babydolls to people are who are too young to remember these looks the 1st time around. A little 90’s nostalgia isn’t a bad thing, but tattoo chokers don’t really need to make a comeback.

loveyoumorethenmyluggage

Definitely. Went shopping with my oldest a week ago and she fell in love with a pair of floral pants that are made from a silky material (toned down hammer pants) I remember from the late 80’s/early 90’s. Also lots of shirts with lace cut outs on the back, crop tops, as well as the plaids/forals. The Juniors section has been creeping through the 80’s, they were going to hit the 90’s eventually.

demidaemon

Funnily enough, my mother was oohing and aahing over those boots. I remained silent.

somebody blonde

I thought Kini’s model really did him a disservice by taking off the jacket so quickly, because the jacket seemed to be where most of his design was!

ItAin’tMe

The make up for Sandhya’s model clinched the win, didn’t it? Does anyone else think that Amanda had planned to make that look for the first assignment?

CelandineM

It’s likely and smart. It never fails to amaze me how unprepared some of these people are for the challenges. Practice sewing fast, learn how to make a pair of men’s trousers, and develop an interesting technique to get the judges to remember/save you in a bad challenge.

Fannie Wolston

I wouldn’t wear that winning dress to my post-mortem! The 13th series seems fresh again, how do they keep it up? Bowen was fun judge IMO. The runway shows get a little boring sometimes, what if there was a quick-fire type challenge ala Top Chef, it’d keep the talent on their toes.

emilaweb

Those poor models and their poor chilly buttcheeks in the cool runway air…

appliquer

LOL! Jorts McFlipFlops. Perfect!

emilaweb

Also, I think my fashion taste is wildly lacking because the winning garment really looks like bundles of cloth dipped in the eye makeup the model was wearing, cut up with some scissors and then had some pipe cleaners glued on. I honestly thought she was being called up to be auffed. I’m trying so hard to see the fashion, I’m a failure.

bitchybitchybitchy

Perhaps it won by default. It looked as if there was a lot of meh and ordinary walking the runway, from the still photos. Or, as TLo said, the judges started smoking during the first episode.

Gatto Nero

I think you’re fine. I was sure she was in the bottom three also.

somebody blonde

If you imagine the starting fabric as a pure white instead of the ugly print it is, I think it’s a bit easier to see it.

Fade (interesting use of white overlay of print on bodice of dress, but could have used better styling for runway),
Carrie(long blue hair),
Samantha (nice, safe, well constructed black maxi),
Sean (long blk/lavender dress),
Char(yellow top circle skirt with POCKETS they all exclaimed over),
Korina (long, nicely flowing red/orange gown which sat nicely on the waist)
Lastly, I still want to see what Angela & Hernan will do in the next 2 challenges. Both let me down after showing some good pieces in their portfolios/interviews.

martha

If only the Judging was based solely on the same criteria!

DuBey2

As a Floridian, I feel bound to say, sadly, “of course”, to the Mitchell (Jorts McFlipFlops). But we’re not ALL crazy down here. I promise!
And, although it may be the kiss of death to him for me to point it out: Fade(German Guy) is also from Florida (Coral Gables, even!)

Saturnine

Jorts was a catty attention hog to be sure, but what annoyed me the most was his insistence on flying the “I’m from Florida” banner as justifying ratty cut-off t-shirts and flip flops. Michael Kors better not show up for the Palm Beach challenge, or it will get ugly, and quick.

FibonacciSequins

Now I’m hoping Michael Kors shows up for the Palm Beach challenge.

Gatto Nero

It’d be fine if Mitchell were crazy *and* talented. But he appears to be lacking toth skills and taste.

UsedtobeEP

I have to say I am surprised they offered Ken a chance to come back—I guess they really did? Wasn’t he the scary, angry one?

M. H. Leader

Yes, he was. They re-ran all of Season 12 all day yesterday–I had it on while I was computing. He (and Sando, the one who stormed off the set and auf’ed himself after attacking the camera guys) clearly has MAJOR anger management issues and sees affronts in everything. Scary.

Stubenville

Which makes both of them reality TV gold in the eyes of the producers.

berlinmama

Too true

M. H. Leader

You know, I do think the winning dress was an OK choice. I think Sandhya showed some real design chops here. It would be a good part of a runway collection, with no real expectation that it would appear on the street. I surprised myself by liking a couple of other looks, like fäde’s very chic bias skirt and top (he clearly made his own material for that too–impressive!), Amanda’s pants, Angela’s pants (just needed some fit adjustments to be pretty awesome), purple-haired Carrie’s dress, Char’s outfit (pretty cool), Samantha’s black outfit (interesting), and Sean’s interesting gray-and-black blocked dress. So I think there clearly are about half the designers who have serious potential, and the other half are cannon fodder.

Though TLo is right: if Angela doesn’t get her emotional act together she’ll crash and burn faster than she ought to. She’s an emotional wreck at the moment, but I think she does have potential.

Someone needs to give TIM GUNN anatomy lessons. Unlesss worn by a gorilla there was zero chace of Angela’s model needing a “Brazillian” to wear these pants…. which by the way JLO could rock the hell out of in just about any color or fabric or leather! “Gidget” from FL should have beem sent home…but you guessed it….what’s a season of PR w/o a bitchy, eyebrow plucked queen?

Saturnine

Oh God, so funny. TG kept going on and on about it and I thought *Really, Tim? All the way up there?*

I was howling with laughter, and Mr Q was “what’s so funny?” I had to explain it to him!

housefulofboys

My thought was that perhaps the slit extended farther when Tim reviewed it in the workroom, and that Angela made corrections so it was less revealing.

Paula Carr

Nah, the way she showed it to Tim was pretty much the way it came out. I was kinda confused, too. I’ve never waxed that far north.

Gatto Nero

I thought Angela’s pant design was pretty cool and just needed some tweaking of the fit in back. It’s an interesting change-up from the endless midriff-baring looks we’ve been seeing since forever. The hipbone is a sexy, interesting part of the anatomy.

alyce1213

I agree, and it’s too bad she overdid it with the top. Pant cutouts are not for everyone, but it’s fine for the runway.

Thomas

I didn’t watch the show so I don’t know what it looks like from the back, but if you cut the “sash” that runs from her right shoulder down to her knee, it looks like it could be a pretty cool top. And if you got rid of it altogether. The asymmetry of the pants and the top would balance out. She just needs to edit.

demidaemon

The back was about two seconds away from showing full ass. NOT good, and probably what got her into the bottom three.

I’m generally not a fan of cut-outs, because it’s too easy for them to go from sexy to tacky/skanky. But I liked the cut-outs Angela put in the pants. I thought the fit was good; the model’s butt looked fantastic. They were cut too low in the back though. I also liked the top. On its own, it’s sexy and fun. It was just too much when paired with the pants.

Alloy Jane

But if The Mitchell is Gidget, who would play Larue? Lol.

A season of PR without a dramatic “character” is one that I wouldn’t get tired of. There is a blacksmith in the Valley called Man At Arms who does a youtube series of how his shop forges fantasy weapons into real, functional weapons. I would KILL to see a Project Runway that was as process-based as those vids.

berlinmama

And the vay-jay word tossed around by social media, when actually, um, it’s inside.

DuBey2

“We sensed Nina wanting to stab her,” – especially when the camera (or editing, more likely) caught her Rolling her eyes after a Julie comment. NO one’s safe on PR. Well, except Heidi. OH, and did anyone else notice that one of the “judges” at the auditions said to a potential “Well, we all know Heidi likes anything short and Tight” ?

RroseSelavy

There was some seriously great eye-rolling by Zac at one point, I think in response to some point of pretentiousness by McFlipFlops? Or the cute, tacky Texan who was early-aufed? Did anyone else catch it?

MarieLD

A little worry: that the finalists will have to incorporate the look they made for last night into their final collections. And we’ll see some horrible fabrics again. Who wears chintz? Or they’ll have to incorporate it and update it.

Stubenville

Would recycling these as lining be considered cheating?

serenab44

They don’t have to use them in the final runway…should they get that far. It’s an “as if” challenge.

Paula Carr

Back in the day? Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen!

Or as we used to call him — Larry Leather-Pants.

Qitkat

I can totally see this being the case; there have been far stranger parameters.

KT

I straight up hated Sandhya’s design and just don’t quite see how her aesthetic translates to the runway. But we’ll see.

I love Char, as well! I wasn’t that crazy about her look, though. I think both pieces would be paired better with something else.

Angela is definitely annoying, but I didn’t think her look deserved to be in the bottom. There’s enough interest here to work with, and if those pants were just an inch higher in the back, they would have totally worked. Also, there were WAY worse / far more boring looks on display here (specifically Emily’s and Hernan’s).

I agree with most of your other critiques, except I actually kind of liked Kristine’s look — I could see Rihanna pulling that off. I also liked Samantha’s look and thought there was some cool design there, though rendering it in black was probably what made it seem bland.

somebody blonde

I actually think the problem with Kristine’s is that her model is pretty busty for a model- I can imagine that she’d been betting on a less endowed model and it came out with a shorter top than she’d thought.

evave2

I am putting in my 2cents here: I never watched the show before in which I disagreed with both the win and the auf. Sometimes I like something more, sometimes something less, but here I thought the winner should’ve been in the low end and the one who was sent home actually had some real sewing skills. If it is a question of “taste” (and has Nina EVER worn the neoprene monstrosity dyed in the toilet from the LA season? THAT was bad taste on steroids.) then I think The Mitchell should’ve gone home. He is NEVER going to get out of his beachy (bitchy) wheelhouse.

I heard so much product placement that I’m not sure if the winning contestant will receive any money or just… stuff. I think the win by Sandhya was deserved… the silouhette was really interesting and the look was well put together. Maybe not “impeccable,” as Nina would argue, but creative, and to me, creativity is a lot more important.

hughman

First of all, the shoes in the Aldo commercial that played on a loop are just butt-fugly. I’ve never even heard of Aldo before but just “NO”.

Second, if you’re gay and live in or are from the South (as I am) then you know queens like Princess Sparkle Pony only too well. The hair, the inappropriate clothing, the unwavering delusion that they are the Bee’s Knees. The whole “I rose from my White Trash ashes to become who I am today” fairy tale. He was just hovering and scheming how to gossip about everyone TO PEOPLE HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW! When he wasn’t eliminated at the end, I literally let out a big NOOOO to my teevee. I would bet money that the next time they (rightfully) question his taste he’s going to pull out the “I was bullied in school” card, complete with tears and a linen hanky. Ugh. Throw her in the volcano.

Thomas

You’ve never heard of Aldo? Do they not have them on the west coast? They’re in every mall I know of. Btw, “Princess Sparkle Pony” made my day.

somebody blonde

We have them in California.

another_laura

You know, I skipped a couple of seasons and the All-Stars, because I had just had it up to here with BM, so color me surprised that I enjoyed last night’s festivities.

I start watching about 20 minutes into it whilst DVRing so that I can fast-forward through the commercials and finish the program pretty much just as the actual broadcast is finishing. Takes away some of the pain.

Peri7473

Fashion aside, i don’t get the Amanda hate. She seems fun and unpretentious. Maybe not a top designer, but certainly good enough for the competition. And of the group, probably someone i would like to hang out with more than most of the others. She seems like a major editing target. I also really glad that they are doing the up-close this year.

Shawn EH

I’ll always love her masking tape dress!

Shelley

Does anyone know how the three designers were picked for voting? Just seems like random choices. Especially Ken “I have little man anger issues”. I’m surprised Pr would even consider having him back on the show. Other than maybe for the drama factor he brings.

Frank_821

It’s not hate per se. During her run she was genuinely a sweet person who didn’t cause drama. At the same time she came across as a little meek and maybe even a bit of a dormat

It’s clear with getting a second chance she was determined to be more assertive about who she is as a designer. How she presented herself this time is a bit jarring compared to the Amanda from S11. The episode made a point of emphasizing this-too much so. That’s probably where it’s coming from.

That plus it being a repeat of this gimmick bringing back an old designer adds to the ill-will. It’s a gimmick that’s really unfair-especially to the 3 who were cut early in the episode

Personally I saw no real need for her to come back on the show since she did present a respectable decoy collection. Same with Alexander.

Gatto Nero

What is getting on my nerves is Amanda’s smug, been-there-done-that, world-wise schtick this time around. Enough of that already. You’re just another contestant.

BLauDGaspode

Yes! Thank you! She really annoyed me as I watched because she seemed so smug.

s elin

Smug! That’s the word I was looking for. Amanda is smug and pretentious. You LOST last time, Amanda. You don’t have all the answers.

Jay

I really like Amanda and voted for her to come back. Her response to Zac’s pompous dismissal of her work was very mature. I hope she continues to do well this season.

KT

Also can we talk about how Amanda was voted back because her brother is in Maroon 5?? Hahahaha

Saturnine

I can’t get my head around this. There’s a logic there I don’t understand. Words are together, but I don’t know what they mean.

Jay

Of the three who were up for Runway Redemption, Amanda has the highest chance of succeeding on the show. Ken has serious anger issues, and the judges have already dismissed Alexander as a costume designer. Plus, Tim Gun hates him.

But, the Maroon 5 connection probably did help a bit.

FoxInSocks

I liked Sandhya’s piece as it relates to the parameters of the challenge (i.e. being part of a collection), but I do think they went a bit far in praising it (’cause it’s a bit ugmo outside of said parameters). I was surprised Char didn’t get the win.

My initial thought on the whittling down process at the start of the ep was that Jorts McFlipFlops was a “the producers want this guy” add, and the fact he survived the runway only strengthens that belief. That said, I’m okay with the auf, because that freaky nursing bibtop was atrocious, too.

Lattis

In a world gone mad . . . there is nothing more comforting than a glass of wine and the first episode of Project Runway. Because, thank god, some things never change.

BuffaloBarbara

I’m glad you guys weren’t totally down on Angela’s weird pants. I thought they were interesting, too. Not my thing, but interesting. I was afraid I was having a bad taste moment in not hating them as much as Nina did.

Char, all the way! I’d have liked to see Nzinga’s take on a lot of challenges, but I guess they took one look at her “I actually cover people with clothing” aesthetic and said, “Can’t have that!”

I was delighted with fäde’s piece, which I totally didn’t expect.

Aldo boots must all be burned in EVERY FIRE.

demidaemon

I think Nzinga could have actually made it, had she diversified more with the three looks she chose for the last minute audition. She kind of screwed herself over (the other two really had no chance in hell, in my opinion).

Alloy Jane

I have to admit, I kinda liked Angela’s pants and wish the fit was better. I suppose for a runway show that the cut-outs would be fine. Visible nipples are all over the runway so I guess “easy access” slits aren’t that different. That top though, yikes. Funny thing is that Samantha’s dress reminds me of Angela’s top with that wrapping bit looking like her flapping fabric tentacle.

LeelaST

Given Sandhya’s ethnicity, the torn arm treatments, dyed fabric that looked like a stain, the frayed edges, and the bizarre eye treatment, if I didn’t know better I would have said she was commenting on the rapes/violent attacks that have made news in India. That is my one and only explanation for her abomination of a garment. It doesn’t say “Spring,” I don’t want to see it as part of a collection, and I can’t imagine anyone wearing it. Bold? Yes. Provocative? Yes. Fashion? No. Every week I”m going to assume she’ll be doing something either cultural or political if this reps her as a designer. Over it.

My faves were Carrie, Sean, and Amanda. I would have Auf’d Sandhya, Angela or Mitchell (of those featured.)

BuffaloBarbara

That would make sense, actually — in “The Road to the Runway,” she showed another piece on which she’d screen printed her own middle finger prints, explicitly to comment on the sexual violence in parts of India.

LeelaST

I didn’t watch that preshow, but I did see the discussion of her middle-finger print fabric and thought it was interesting. But as Mondo did using the + graphic to make a statement about his positive HIV status, Sandhya could have done something more aesthetically pleasing than this ripped thing. I’ll reserve judgement but the praise she received was beyond odd – even for creating an “edgy” look.

BuffaloBarbara

Oh, yeah, it was definitely odd. Statement pieces still have to be actual pieces with work put into them. And if it *was* a statement, in a way it makes it even squickier that Heidi thought it looked like a romance novel.

Qitkat

That was my take on Sandhya’s dress too. I was floored by all the admiration for it, as the torn sleeves made her look like an assault victim, along with the scary depressive makeup. If, in fact, she actually was making a political statement, then I am full of admiration, but that was nowhere close to the challenge presented. Baffling, more than most I have disagreed with in the past.

Shelley

As soon as the other designers started bashing it, I knew she was going to be the winner. It’s the same. Formula PR has used for years.

guest2visits

Didn’t think of that, but makes perfect sense as a political or social statement. Still not really something to actually wear as part of any spring collection in my opinion. I also wonder if it was complete or not – I saw the rawness as finished but some of the judges said it wasn’t completed. And yet they still gave her the win…. oh well, typical eccentric PR reasoning.

Alloy Jane

Sandhya said she was inspired by the Holi Festival, which after googling seems like Hindu Carnival/Easter. It’s an early spring thing that involves spatting people with colored water, kinda like at a color run. It’s about letting it all hang out and dropping class barriers, so after reading a little about it, I “get” her dress more, or at least the fabric dying makes more sense. While I expect everything she does is cultural/political, I doubt someone that would make a “fuck you, you rapist/chauvanist assholes” dress would consciously style her model as an assault victim. That seems antithetical to the positivity and empowerment she seems to want to express. It was probably subconscious. Kinda like when Marie from Everybody Loves Raymond takes up sculpting and subconsciously sculpts a giant vaginal opening. That’s on youtube, btw, so hilarious…

scoobynacks

Emily’s looked like her model was wearing a long blue dress and then somehow got her body caught in a Chinese finger trap. Kristine’s got taste issues, I agree with TLo. It feels like a 90s red carpet look for Sporty Spice that she wanted to be able to take to the gym first.

SunDevilWitch

I was desperate for a way to describe that yuck and you have nailed it. I kind of want to refer to Emily as finger-cuffs…and yes, I’m thinking of Chasing Amy.

Frank_821

Thinking about someone earlier asking if Amanda might have already designed her outfit ahead of time. If she did, then good for her. That’s part of being a good contestant. There really is no excuse for current contestants not to be prepared for this show. PR has been on the air for 10 years.

By now there are things you need to get taken care of before you even apply for the show

1. You need to get proficient with a industrial machine
2. You need to get experienced at flat patterning
3. You need to practice tailoring
4. You need to know how to make pants
5. You need to practice making menswear
6. You need to learn to make a NICE LOOKING dress in less than 12 hours
7. You need to optimize your finishing work

and there are core challenges that they do variations of almost every season that anyone coming onto PR should plan for. If not any full fledged designs than at least preliminary concepts and an idea for materials that can be executed in 10-20 hrs.

Red carpet
Avant garde
Something for Heidi or her business
Menswear
Regular Woman outfit
A commercial ready-to wear outfit that can be sold in a dept store
Unconventiional materials

Shawn EH

Though regular woman can also mean really old, or really young, or “your moms” so that one’s twisty.

Stacy Mintzer Herlihy

It’s like Top Chef. You’d better darned well know how to make at least one basic dessert before you even think of applying. If I were thinking of applying to the show, I would spent at least a year practicing for it. I would watch every single episode at least twice and examining every single winning collection in great detail. I remain astonished at people who don’t. Then again this is the show that brought us Anya the Winner Who Couldn’t Sew Sleeves!

demidaemon

True. But doing all of the above definitely improves your chances (Anya’s win is looking flukier and flukier, which makes me happy). Really, at this point, unless a show is brand new (and even then they aren’t that brand new), you should watch these episodes until your brain melts and learn/practice skills and knowledge that will assist you.

Saturnine

And you need to be able to able to make Beef Wellington. Oh. sorry. That’s the Gordon Ramsey show.

GinAndPopcorn

And risotto. If you can’t do both Beef Wellington and risotto in your sleep, when you apply for a spot on Hell’s Kitchen then you deserve whatever abuse you get from Gordon Ramsey.

Jay

“Zac was his usual bitchy self.”

He really was, and not in a fun way. To be fair though, he always has at least one contestant who he showers with undeserved praise at every opportunity (usually a “bold” designer who sends “statement” pieces down the runway, ala Patricia and Dom).

I don’t think that Sandhya deserved the win (I would have picked Amanda), but she seems really sweet. I’m sad that it seems like she’ll fill the resident punching bag role previously occupied by Alexandria and Michael Costello.

Nina seems to be losing her influence on the judging panel, unfortunately. She was the only one making any sense to me last night.

Gatto Nero

And Heidi’s influence on the judging seems to be growing, which is a pity, because she really has no taste and no eye for design.

Chartreusite

I actually kind of understand and support the decision to give Sandhya the win? I feel like the judging on Project Runway has been trending more and more towards doing something safe with a few twists and turns to turn out a winning garment, and I think that has led to a lot of sameness in the aesthetic of the garments walking down the runway (Season 10, in particular, felt like it was dominated by a heavy, drab color palette and a design mould that most of the successful designers fit into). I don’t unreservedly love Sandhya’s piece and I do think she had issues with time management and execution, but it’s kind of refreshing to see the judges reward a riskiness and someone who is entirely committed to their sort of outsider (relative to what most of the contestants POV are) aesthetic. That being said, I think she’s definitely gonna struggle in this competition unless she can find a way to fit her point of view with some of the challenges where she can’t take such an artistic approach. And again, there’s the time management and execution issues…

Saturnine

I think Sandhya’s garment had the advantage of being (to reluctantly paraphrase the Fraulein) somewhat surprising among the entries. Even the well-executed designs on Thursday seemed a bit expected and ready to wear. I can understand TPTB wanting to reward something out of the ordinary for the first challenge. That said, I can easily see Sandhya overdesigning in the future with less successful results.

Chartreusite

Agreed. The designers over the seasons have become more and more complacent and less willing to send wack crap down the runway, so hopefully this is a wakeup call for all of them to start really exploring options. And I definitely don’t see Sandhya making fashion week; I’d love to see her do a decoy collection, but I can’t imagine her being able to adapt well to every challenge or meet every time constraint.

Alloy Jane

I figured it was the “surprise” element as well. They’ve been doing this for ten years and the relative predictability has to be wearing. They’ve always axed “boring” over “poorly made but interesting” when it comes down to it.

Chartreusite

Definitely, and I think it is a refreshing change of pace. Why not give the win to the person who really went out on a limb the first round with a really interesting concept? If this were down to the wire and people who had an equally strong point of view but better execution, I’d definitely have issues but for this early on it’s kinda cool to establish THIS as a precedent.

Jay

Oh, and if the producers are to continue to be obsessed with getting actresses to guest judge, they should really get Chloe Sevigny one of these days. I wonder if she or one of her alters would wear Sandhya’s look?

snarkykitten

Winner should get to design something from one of her alters. Free commentary from TLO! 🙂

berlinmama

Yes, she would.

sk

My first time commenting even though I’ve been reading TLO forever. I didn’t like the winning dress but I liked Sandhya’s audition clothes a lot, plus her personality. I like Char, I think she has the right mindset AND the talent for this and willing to bet no one is going to want to mess with her either. And I think Fäde is interesting. I was a bit surprised by the boring dress Alexander put out since I thought he was the one in auditions with the really over the top volume things? Or maybe I’m mixing him up with someone else. The “blind judging” thing has bothered me because of course it isn’t, maybe they don’t know who put it out there the first time, but since they keep the same models time after time, unless the judges have the memory of a gnat, they know by the second runway which designer it is.

BLauDGaspode

Not to mention all the chatting and facial expressions of the designers as the models walk the runway. Surely they can also begin to tell different POVs after a few challenges.

demidaemon

If these designers were smart, they would take advantage of this knowledge (i.e. keep your fool mouths shut; throw out a surprise look that will totally confuse the judges; if model selection still happens off-camera, switch up your model on the regular). However, I am doubtful of the intelligence some of these designers may or may not have.

Alloy Jane

Another dumb thing about the “blind judging” is how it’s edited to show the “Oh look that one is mine it looks amazing!” reactions and comments from the designers when their look walks the runway. Will they be keeping their models? I hope they don’t. I really enjoyed the model selection process when they used to air it.

I still haven’t watched the episode, but from these pictures it looks like some of the models are fierce inside. Any good walkers this season? I know that’s been a complaint among the BKs in the past.

alyce1213

I liked Char’s model. She worked the hell out of that blouse.

DebbieLovesShoes

Can’t tell you how happy I am you are watching PR again this season! I’ve missed you and your comments so terribly!

alyce1213

My four favorites were, in no particular order: fäde (that skirt alone should have put him in the top), Char (blouse), Amanda (pants), and Sandhya (creativity). I already have fervent personality likes and dislikes — Char and Sandhya on top, The Mitchell and bitchy girls on bottom. Let’s see how that plays out. I’m interested to see what fäde comes up with, and I think it’s cute when Heidi gets to speak German (“I have no idea what you’re saying, but I’m in!”)
About the auf — of course it should have been The Mitchell, his garment was crap, but they’re not letting go of that drama clown yet. Jefferson’s was bad, but it showed at least some skill and design ability. I suppose a good thing about Jefferson’s early departure is that we’ll be spared a lot of dropped crotch designs.

I couldn’t see if it has been mentioned but there was some Drag Race Similarities in the contestants –

Hernan is the love child of Dracula and Alexis Matteo = Dracula Matteo.
The Mitchell Perry is basically Alyssa Edwards but without the humour.

I thought it was interesting what Sandhya did, the Holi Festival is huge in europe having been appropriated into charity 10k marathons and music festivals. She made her model look as if she hulked out at holi festival and ripped out of her seams. I loved her preshow collection and I am excited by what she could bring.

This season does have some interesting designers lets hope the time constraints allow us to see what they can do.

Guest

Imagine a world where Tom and Lorenzo are the Project Runway judges!

Shelley

That’s a world I want to be a part of!! Really, PR would be smart to have them guest judge. That would be amazeballs.

Alisar was actually the shyest GNTM winner of all, and therefore the most questioned one. Noone really believed her win and noone heard of her after the show either. She also broke the contract with Heidi’s father’s Model Agency she as a winner was obliged to. Another fun fact is that one of the models from last season was the previous girlfriend of Heidi’s new lover. (Julian Schnabel – if that’s still going on…?)

Truly_Outrageous

I liked Sandhya’s dress. Sure it had some issues but I liked her design and what she did with the fabric (the dyeing and the fraying of the edges). Her use of color and print (in the other garments she showed in the auditions) kinda sorta reminds me of Manish Arora. I loved how that girl was a shit talking about Sandhya and then all of a sudden Sandhya got the win. That girl didn’t even make it to the top 3 this week.

Shelley

If I have to hear the words “My girl is edgy yet soft” one more time….Is it just me or did the word edgy get thrown around an obscene amount of times?

CKMia

The tortured and totally random product placements are hilarious. Tim Gunn pointing out the REFRIGERATOR?? Tim, you whore.

Shelley

I thought the same thing. Refrigerator product placement? I mean what about the dishes, Tim. Where did the dishes come from??? Oh and don’t get me started on Red Robin. So. Random.

berlinmama

Red Robin. Red Robin!!!

Alloy Jane

So no more HP creative suites but SAMSUNG REFRIGERATOR! I almost wish I had Lifetime on cable so I could dvr it and not have to listen to all the product placement, but it just isn’t worth it. I’d rather watch online and not have to see previews for their other shitty shows.

Tracy_Flick

That floral dress looks like one of those samples they put out at Joann fabrics. Jeezus.

Shelley

Joann Fabrics – that’s awesome. And true!

demidaemon

I am pretty sure they picked the worst (and cheapest) fabrics on purpose for this challenge, which I kind of approve of.

berlinmama

the whole thing looked like mumsy shopping at Kohl’s, the lunch with the gals.

Susan Crawford

Giving Julie Bowen a seat in Judges Row? Seemed like a good idea until she opened her mouth and then I was right with Nina in glaring at her and pursing my lips. And my goodness, I surprised myself by actively rooting for Fade (mit umlaut) . . . while his design wasn’t earth shattering, he was one of the few who seemed to understand that good design is fundamentally about proportion, and he really nailed it. But I am already a Sandhya fangirl – I love her embellished, folkloric-chic aesthetic, and I hope she can rein in some of the whack-a-doo shoulder ripping, because she is truly refreshing in her originality. So ramp up the drama, the tears, the tantrums and the zany . . . PR is back!

pdquick

Can we call Sandhya’s garment the Red Rain Dress?

s elin

Right away, the judges are all on crack. Sandyha won?!! No. I thought she was on her way out. I liked Jefferon’s outfit, too. That decision was an outrage!

MilaXX

Those prizes sound like a whole bunch of nothing. Really? The first thing they want on their resume is Red Robin uniform? I liked Sandhya’s look. I didn’t mind the shoulder treatment because it was supposed to be runway. I *really* liked that Korrina was shocked that it won. I wish jorts had gone instead of Jefferson, but he’s this seasons drama queen.
Julie Bowen is a superfan. In a way its endearing, but she’s always too extra. She was the same way on Talking Dead. Anytime you out talk Chris Hardwick, you’re doing it wrong.

I don’t watch the show, but damn, with these recaps I don’t have to. It’s like everything awesome about it condensed into one snarky page complete with pictures. LOVE.

geeeque

Am I the only one who saw McQueen’s “Highland Rape” in Sandhaya’s dress? But he did it waaaay better. I’ll give to this group though, they seem like they can sew. Jorts is ridonkulous. I hope Jefferson understands he lost by being a seemingly nice normal human as opposed to a reality tv ratings-pumping muppet.

geeeque

I legit love and would wear Carrie’s dress. That shit is on point.

BobStPaul

Just watched it on Lifetime and I have to say I’m not sure I will last the season. Half the outfits had no design to them and the judging is already shady. I have to say that I hated Sandhya’s outfit (I cringed every time they showed a close-up of it) though I felt sorry for her when after the decision was made she was told that everyone but one person thought she was going to be in the bottom. I would have given the win to fade though I had no problems with Amanda and Char being in the top. I think the real reason why Jefferson was aufed was because he wasn’t going to bring enough drama to the show. I would have aufed the Mitchell without a second thought. I’m surprised at how many people have been critical of Julie Bowen as a judge – I thought she was one of the better celebrity judges they’ve had.

I believe it was Samantha who felt compelled to tell Sandhya that everyone else thought she’d be in the bottom three. She also said something shady to another designer, although damn if I can remember who it was or what Samantha said. At any rate, Samantha appears to be passive-aggressive as hell.

FibonacciSequins

That was just mean, especially since telling Sandhya that only served as a way for Samantha to pat herself on the back.

Don Hackett

she could have said she supported sandhya without saying no one else did! i’m forgiving samantha this one time, though, cause i think she’s cute. posted by sleah in norcal.

guest2visits

“….and a talent for making cheap fabric look expensive (which is a very useful talent to have on PR)…” Never more true than this 1st show. While I like the premise of making the designers make-do with whatever fabric they’ve been given, since I think it forces them into creativity and revealing their style and capabilities right from the start – I don’t know how they could have found cheaper, harsher prints or material. I’m actually kind of impressed with several of the designers; they saved a loud print or two and turned them into something fashionable.

Don Hackett

i too like the idea of limiting their fabric choices, esp when it forces them to use color and prints. whoever got that solid black was paying on a different ball field.

DollyMadisonWI

I know we just got started but I really want Nina to GO AWAY. I find her the great homogenizer.

Swiftlytiltingplanet

Word!

frannyprof

I heart Char. I’m obligated to root for Carrie also because she is a fellow Pug mom. I don’t get all the love for Sandaya’s dress. At all.

Don Hackett

PUGGIES!!! my dearest friend, now gone, had one named froggie. she used to put her jewelry on her. froggie enjoyed a good pearl necklace and a satin pillow to sit on. posted by sleah in normal

destroy1234

Judging by the preview, Sandhya seems like to be harmless version of Michael Costello.
Some of the contestants seems like they were holding back.

Don Hackett

but she seems much more stable emotionally than michael was that first season. we hope. posted by sleah in normal

Scarlet39

The very things that they praised about Sandhya’s garment will be the same things that will get her auf’d in a few episodes.

Chartreusite

True. If she has the same issues every round as she did completing her garment this round, it doesn’t seem possible that they’d let her slide so consistently with execution problems.

Logo Girl

I was calling Carrie (is that her name) Baby Nina Hagen.

Kimberlini

And my name for Samantha is Baby Ellen Page.

Don Hackett

she is too cute with her butch/fem alternate style personalities. she would be fun to hang with. as if she’d dig hanging out with a 66 year old hippie… posted by sleah in norcal. my beloved laptop is dead since i knocked over my lemonade in my sleep (sniff)

berlinmama

YES!

Carleenml

my “I’m glad you watched” comment was deleted? What’d I say?

bingo

I very much enjoyed Heidi chit-chatting with Fäde auf Deutsch in the “how we got here” pre-epi. I hope to hear more of that if he sticks around.

ThaliaMenninger

Did anyone else expect him to ask her if she wanted to touch his monkey?

Don Hackett

totally. deiter? was that his name? hilarious…

jorinde

when was that?

Alloy Jane

I really like it when Heidi speaks in German. I wish Nina would speak in Spanish every once-in-a-while. But I guess that’s the difference between them, Heidi doesn’t mind giving the appearance of warmth whereas Nina always has that professional barrier up.

Kimberlini

Tim’s tie was bugging the crap out of me on the pre-game show. If a crooked tie is a trend now, count me out. I’m too OCD for that.

somebody blonde

Sandhya’s design is definitely either a love it or hate it. I love it, but I wouldn’t have picked it for the win. I would’ve either picked fäde or Amanda for the win and Sandhya would’ve filled out the top three. I liked Char’s and Carrie’s as well. I didn’t think Angela deserved to be in the bottom, really. I would totally wear those pants if they were made a bit better! How are those cutouts any more “easy-access” than the gyno dresses Heidi regularly wears? I think they put her in the bottom just because they knew they could freak her out. I would’ve had Emily in the bottom in her place. That outfit was horrendous. I would’ve sent Mitchell home though, because Nina was right: I already know what he’s going to make, and I don’t really want to see it.

Saturnine

I pretty much agree on all counts. Sandhya’s had a certain runway appeal, but I wouldn’t have given it the win. Char, Carrie, Fade or even Amanda would have been OK for me. Angela’s was not THAT bad, given the pass that some past designers have gottenthrough for clearly unfinished garments down the runway. I would have liked a shorter side “tail” on Angela’s top, and maybe a design echo of the pant’s side slits somewhere in the top. The more I look at Emily’s, the more I can’t believe it sailed through without being in the bottom three.

Fannie Wolston

I’m as mstified as jefferson, the naked shoes, the breezy waist hugging tap-pant the mini architectural blouse, all seemed exceptionally proportional on that model…

LambeeBaby

What a bunch of crack smoking fools! I can’t believe they have “never seen anything like that before”. REALLY? Well, I guess you have never watched The Walking Dead, because it looks a lot like something that got chewed up on the way to a party. I am so freaked out that I started cancelling my season pass but my boyfriend told me not to be so impulsive since it used to be my fav. I have disagreed with the judges in the past but I honestly thought it was a joke. So disappointing. I think they just did it for shock value.

Erica Codey-Rucker

Jorts McFlipFlops…dead. love it.

Michelle Gennari

I’m totally confused on that winning design. There were a few better ones to choose from for sure. I think Mitchell should have bit the dust. Both he and Jefferson’s outfits were weird but I think Mitchell’s had more construction issues. Mitchell is a legend in his own mind for sure. I like Char a lot and I think Sean’s dress was verrrry nice.

colleenjanel

“Designers, today is your unconventional materials challenge. In honor of our sponsors Red Robin and Best Western, you will be asked to design a look using only burger toppings and Gideon Bibles. Make it work!”

Annie Lure

I didn’t watch, so I’ve no idea who is who. Doesn’t look like I missed anything worth seeing, though. Most of these entries are either under-designed or poorly constructed or both. The challenge brief? Design a spring outfit? Couldn’t have been blander. Were they required to incorporate pre-allocated fabrics? Is that what accounts for these hideous sofa/middle-school spring dance poster floral patterns?

The only piece to which I responded positively is Fade’s dress. Sure, it’s a bit dowdy, but it has the markings of a well-wrought piece. I appreciate the insets. No, I don’t care for the floral fabric, obviously, but he used it sparingly and strategically. He interspersed that gray floral fabric throughout the skirt portion very harmoniously. Why wasn’t he declared the winner?

I can’t say I concur with the win. It’s a very contrived dress. I see she tried to add an element of deconstruction as that shredded hem evinces. It’s not a bad attempt at deconstruction, either. It looks deliberately shredded as opposed to badly hemmed. But those shoulder wings! You can do them, but they need to accentuate the shoulders, not deform them. In her dress, they do the latter. Nothing inventive about cutwork of the print, either.

Amanda’s pants are pretty great, though. Lots of seam-work, all of it well-rendered. The top’s OK.

I’ve no idea who Sean is, but that color-blocked dress is UGLY! There’s color-blocking, and then there’s let’s point an arrow to her crotch! One towards her boobs! One towards her stomach! Oh, a rectangle for her knees, too. Don’t forget the bib! Awful, awful, awful. Terrible proportions. He’s obviously got no idea how to delineate a woman’s body. Way too bottom-heavy. Who wants to look like she’s got geometric shapes dropping out of her vagina?

Guy who got sent packing? His entry wasn’t the worst. I absolutely concur that the proportions don’t work, but there’s an attempt there. It’s as if he tried to do something interesting with the proportions and failed. Whereas Hernan didn’t try at all. How was that not the losing entry? The model’s ass is hanging out when I looked at the back shot at the PR site!! So why wasn’t he sent home? What’s his personality like? I haven’t watched, so I’ve only got a face to go by. He looks interesting, though. That’s probably why they kept him. It can’t be that sewing project he sent down.

somebody blonde

The challenge was that they had only 5 3-yard pieces of fabric each, and if they wanted other fabrics, they’d have to trade for them. That’s why the fabrics are so ugly. Also, this was only a one day challenge.

Gatto Nero

And that they had to make a look that would be part of a hypothetical spring collection.

berlinmama

Hernan should have been out; Looks like a east LA hooker

Chrrristine

What did everyone think about the German designer and his name Fäde zu Grau? He must have changed his name to that= Fade to Grey (with a gratuitous umlaut/ dots over the ‘a’). I cannot take this guy seriously with a name like that! Seems more like a brand than a name.

sisterb67

Well, I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that based on his age (same as me) and his mention of clubbing that it’s somehow connected to the band Visage and their wildly popular song “Fade to Grey” which was a massive hit in Germany when it was released (as was the album from which it came).

berlinmama

‘Faden’ in German translates to threads?

bitchybitchybitchy

Just as an FYI, when I checked Blogging Project Runway this afternoon, I discovered that Mila Hermanovski is blogging this season, and her post has some interesting comments about the casting process for PR, based on her experience.

Pound of Salt

Why has no one done Snatch Game as Nina Garcia yet?

Sweetvegan

Soooo glat you guys are blogging about PR again!!! I actually really liked Kristine’s look. I’m surprised she was in the middle. I would’ve liked a closeup of Sandhya’s look. Were those zippers? At the shoulder seam? Why did they stick out bizarrely?

Kim Elmore

Excuse you. In Sean’s dress, is there a triangle right over her Vajay?

Mitchell is so tragic. He kind of reminds me of Alyssa Edwards out of drag too. Anyone else? Anyone? Anyway; a few years ago I had a “turning 30 crisis” and decided to move to Orlando; and this is exactly what every gay guy in FL is like. He’ll be gone before the leaves change hopefully.